Familiar of ZerOOO
by Ten-Faced Paladin
Summary: She wanted an incredible Familiar. He just wanted to hang out with his friends. One of them got their wish and it certainly wasn't him. Now he's trapped in a world of magic on his own, but with a weapon the likes of which have never been seen before.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Kamen Rider OOO or Familiar of Zero. They belong to their respective creators and not me. I am only writing this for fun and for no other reason. So enjoy the end product.

**Familiar of ZerOOO**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**CHAPTER 1: The Summoning, The Strange Familiar, and Shocking Transformation**

You know, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I headed off towards the convention this morning. Dressed up as Eiji Hino of Kamen Rider OOO, I had all of the necessary props on my person. I had the O-Driver, the O-Scanner, the Medajilabur, and I even had nine Core Medals from each of the Greeed. Heck, I even had the black and orange Core Medals just to keep the collection complete. I was packed up and heading off to enjoy my day with fellow enthusiasts like me as well as awesome deals on all sorts of things.

Then that weird circle appeared before me.

In hindsight, poking it was probably not the best idea in the world. Just by touching it, I was sucked inside and into a black void of some kind. The circle then disappeared and I was left to wonder if I was going to get killed. Well, I was sure that I was killed when the explosion just came out of nowhere and enveloped me in smoke. In a coughing fit, I was knocked to me knees from the blast and hit…soft grass? What the-?-!

Waving my arm whilst trying not to hack up a lung, I was met by a blue sky, shining sun, and trees. My next observation was that I was surrounded by people around my own age, if not a bit younger. They were all dressed in matching uniforms with white shirts, black pants (or skirts for the ladies) and cloaks held over their shoulders with a gold piece which had a pentagram inside of it. Off to the side was an older man with not a hair on top of his head wearing glasses and robes which I wouldn't have pegged outside of a fantasy anime of some kind. He was holding a notepad and looking on in fascination.

What demanded my immediate attention though was the girl standing in front of me. She was dressed like the other people her age, but she was somewhat shorter. She also sported long shoulder length hair that was actually pink if you can believe it. I first thought it had to be a dye job or something, but when I saw that her eyebrows matched the hair I thought otherwise. Her eyes were a deep brown that seemed almost like chocolate matching her cotton candy hair. However, the frown her face was set in and the way her hands were balled into fists and set on her hips indicated that she was not pleased to see me.

"Who are you?" she demanded of me hotly.

"Uh…" I blinked. Now remember I was thoroughly confused about just what the heck was going on. So confused in fact, I wasn't quite up to the challenge of answering such a simple question.

"I asked you a question, commoner!" she demanded. "What are you doing here…?" She seemed ready to rip into me, but it seemed that a dawning horror came over her features as she came to some kind of realization. "No…don't tell me-!"

The same realization seemed to have come to the other teenagers, but rather than horror it just came as great amusement to them. Every one of them suddenly broke out in huge fits of laughter, all of it pointed at the pink-haired girl in front of me. Her cheeks turned bright red in embarrassment as everyone was quite obviously enjoying a good laugh at her expense.

"As expected of Louise the Zero!"

"Ah ha ha ha ha!"

"Ah commoner! A commoner as a Familiar!"

"Oh my sides!"

"Shut up!" the pink-haired girl shouted at her fellows. "This thing is just a mistake! It's not my Familiar! I just have to try again!"

"That's what you always say," a particularly chesty redhead with lovely tanned skin who wore her uniform in a rather scandalous manner. The only difference in her outfit from the others besides how she wore it was the gold high heeled thigh-high boots. I had to be honest, it was hard not to pay attention to her body and just listen to what was going on around me. "Isn't this what always happens though?" Beside her, a short girl with short blue hair and red glasses was reading a book, but obviously following the conversation as she nodded.

"Shut your mouth!" Louise shouted at the redhead. "I said I'll fix it!"

"All right, that's enough everybody!" the older man in the audience called out. Immediately, everyone clammed up. Obviously he was someone of authority. I was still just wondering what the heck was going on. Seeing he had silence, the man continued with his eyes on the pink-haired girl. "Now, Ms. Valliere. This is the holy ritual of Familiar summoning. There's no such thing as 'fixing it' as you say. This young man was summoned and thus he shall serve as your Familiar."

"Wait, serve?-!" I cried, snapping out of my confused stupor and jumping to my feet. "Just what is that supposed to mean?-!"

"Now, continue the ritual," the man ordered Louise.

"…yes sir," the girl sighed in defeat. Turning towards me, her face was etched in what looked like a cross between a frown and a pout. Adding the flush to her cheeks and I had to admit that she looked incredibly cute, if not a little loli. Mustering up her courage, she spoke, "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a commoner like you! You'd better appreciate it!"

"Huh?" I blinked. What the hell was everyone talking about? I just wanted to know where I was!

Stepping forward, Louise raised what looked like an honest-to-goodness wand which sparked at the tip. Raising her arm (with some reaching needed) she tapped the glowing end against my forehead and began to speak what felt like a chant, "_Pentagon of the five elemental powers, grant your blessing on this creature and bind it as my Familiar._" Now confused, and feeling a little tingly, I was caught off guard by what happen next. The pink haired girl stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around my neck and yanked me down slightly before planting a kiss right on my lips!

"Mph?-!" I tried to cry out. The girl held the kiss for only a moment before letting me go. We both backed away from one another, me feeling a little embarrassed as well as confused while the pink-haired girl looked bitterly disappointed still. "Um…not that I'm complaining I suppose, but what was that for?"

"It was for the ritual! Don't you know anything?" the pinkette snapped. "I can't believe I wasted my first kiss on you!"

By now I was quite certain that the pink girl was one of the biggest brats I had ever seen in my entire life. After her last outburst, I was ready to unleash some choice words of my own back at her when that tingling sensation in my head from her wand reappeared on my left hand. The sensation was there for only a moment before it quickly turned into a burning feeling. Gasping, I gripped my hand and watched as lines were etched onto my skin as if an invisible pen which was on fire would do. The lines quickly completed themselves, looking like a line of Nordic characters not unlike the ones I had seen in history books.

"What the-?" I grunted, still feeling the after effects of the burning sensation.

"Ah, the runes signifying the Familiar contract," the man with glasses observed. Stepping closer so he could take a look at the markings in question, he took my wrist so he could get a good look. "Hmm, seems to a rather precise contract. Most Familiars don't get markings like that. I don't think I've personally seen such a marking before."

"That's…nice," I grimaced, taking back my hand.

The man nodded and turned his attention back to the rest of the teenagers, "This concludes the summoning ceremony. You are all dismissed back to your dormitories."

The announcement caused many of the students to begin milling about, grouping off with friends and such things teenagers are prone to do in groups. The pinkette was still huffing about her apparent bad luck. I was reaching my limit on the daily weird shit meter and was preparing to just up and shout something, even if the girl was going to hit me for it. However, I was halted in my action when someone decided to comment on the pinkette's performance.

"My my Louise, you've summoned a 'marvellous' Familiar," the chesty redhead from before smiled as she approached. Behind her was the blue-haired girl still reading her book. Hmm…the redhead seemed hotter up close than from a distance. She seemed to notice how I was admiring her and her smile grew slightly. Unfortunately, the pinkette 'Louise' noticed too and pinched my ear to make me stop. You know, I never quite realized just how sensitive my ears were until the shorter girl had gotten a tight hold on one.

"Listen, Kirche!" Louise growled. "I don't need you-!"

"Oh, I don't intend to do anything," the redhead 'Kirche' smiled. "For now anyway." Turning away, she and the blue-haired girl motioned with their hands before suddenly rising into the air as if their feet had wings. It was a motion that several other teenagers followed as they began flying into the distance towards someplace I obviously couldn't see. Waving down at us, Kirche called, "I'll greet you properly later!"

I could only gape at the sight of the various teenagers flying away. Could you blame me? They had nothing but their clothes and they were still managing to fly like it was a completely normal thing to do. Still, it gave me a spectacular view of Kirche's underwear which I was pretty sure she did on purpose if the way she tried to fly ahead of and higher than the other males in the crowd were was any indication. That or she was a shameless exhibitionist who didn't care who saw what she was sporting.

"Hmph!" Louise huffed, snapping me out of my shock. "Come on Familiar! We're going back too!"

"Huh?" I blinked. I was doing that a lot recently. "Back? Back where?"

"The academy! Now come on!" Louise shouted as she continued walking.

"Academy?" I asked. Receiving no answer, and absolutely no idea where to go I reluctantly followed Louise towards her destination.

The tiny pinkette walked along a path while making sure I stayed behind her rather than beside her since I apparently wasn't worthy enough to be in such a position. It wasn't a long trek before were came upon a sizable castle with white stone and large walls protecting the inner buildings. It was truly an impressive sight, but what had really caught my attention wasn't the castle itself, but the two suns sinking towards the horizon.

"I…don't think I'm in Kansas anymore," I gaped quite openly.

"Of course you're not," Louise frowned. "You're in Tristain and this is the prestigious Tristain Academy! Now follow me and don't get lost!"

Again having no choice, I followed after Louise and through the castle gates. Everywhere around were teenagers of various ages reading books or talking with their friends. They were all wearing the same uniform as the one Louise had on. However, many of them were accompanied by animals and some of them were rather fantastic beasts. The pinkette continued guiding me deeper into the building which seemed more like a posh castle than any kind of school I had ever been in. Everywhere was decorative art, sculptures, and even a few maids were skittering about with trays, laundry, or cleaning implements.

Finally, Louise brought me to one of the towers and into a single bedroom which was filled with just as many expensive and artistic pieces, but just as frilly as I expected a teenage girl would have. Since I hadn't really been in a girl's room before, this was a little awkward for me. Still, this wasn't the time for hormones since I was quite obviously far from home in a place that seemed to be making very little sense and had to deal with a bratty pink-haired girl who seemed to consider quite the lower life form.

"This is the worst day ever," Louise growled, dropping onto a chair next to a small round table. She reached to a small lamp and turned a knob to brighten it, proving it to be an oil lamp or something which had been lit. It was just as well since it was dark by the time we had entered. "I was supposed to summon a magnificent familiar to show everyone that would talk bad about me! Instead I get a commoner!"

She was acting like I wasn't in the room. Bratty and rude. How lucky for me. Despite how upset she was over…whatever she did to bring me here, I really couldn't bring myself to give any kind of sympathy for her. Maybe if she tried puppy dog eyes or something I'd feel more forgiving but since she had been a brat thus far, I had nothing. So instead of trying to get answers or comfort the girl, I stuck my hands in my pockets and decided to amuse myself by seeing just what kind of things this girl had in her room. She was certainly extravagant enough to act like a rich girl. I had next to no clue about some of the things I was looking at value-wise but I could tell they were expensive.

"You, Familiar!" Louise snapped, bringing my attention to her. "Make yourself useful and make me some tea."

"And how should I do that?" I asked. "I don't even know how. Come to think of it, why should I do anything you say? You kidnapped me!"

"You will do as such since I am your master!" the pinkette snapped back. "I did not kidnap you either! My magic brought you here! You should be honoured to be of such service to a noble!"

"You just admitted you brought me here against my will! That's kidnapping!" I snapped back. "Being honoured to serve my kidnapper? Not likely!"

"How rude!" the pinkette growled. "Obviously you're in need of learning some manners!"

"I know my manners just fine!" I growled. "I just don't think you deserve me using them!"

"How dare you!" Louise snapped back, hopping to her feet. She yanked out what appeared to be a wand and held it high. "Know your place Familiar!"

BOOM!

I lost consciousness after that. I'm pretty sure I was in a lot of pain too.

* * *

><p>I woke up to a world of pain.<p>

I remember reading lines like that in fanfiction, books, and hearing it in other aspects of media. I had always thought that it was just an expression meant to relay someone being in pain. At the moment I woke up, I discovered that it wasn't an expression. It truly felt like all of my senses were relaying nothing but pain. My eyes stung, my ears rang, inhaling through my nose caused pain, my body ached, and I was pretty sure I had bitten my tongue in the explosion which certainly explained the taste of blood and the accompanying pain.

Grumbling, I sat up. A moment of trying to get my senses back revealed that straw was poking my butt. Shaking my head, I looked around and to my dismay found myself in the same room I had fallen unconscious in. Rubbing my eyes some more, I glanced at the frilly and ornate bed to see the pinkette from before. She was under the covers and dressed in frilly pyjamas. She was also snoozing soundly as if nothing was wrong and despite how cute she looked, I remembered her bratty attitude from the previous day.

The room was dark and it was obviously in the middle of the night. Willing some of the pain away, I got a better look at what was going around. The room seemed to smell a bit of smoke, likely from the explosion which the pinkette hit me with before I passed out. I was sitting on a sheet with a pillow, which would normally have seemed like a courtesy on Louise's part. However, the straw beneath it was quite noticeable and it showed just how little consideration the pinkette put into making my bedding. Looking down revealed that the straw had been heaped into a pile with a sheet and pillow tossed over it.

Grumbling, I stood up and felt my Eiji Hino props sticking into my sides. I felt all sorts of negative feelings which weren't appropriate for print run through my head towards my situation and the people around it. I was quite willing to bring violence down on somebody, but didn't see any truly deserving targets. Louise may have qualified, but I wasn't about to attack someone who was asleep; that and the fact that despite believing in equality for all and such, hitting a lady for mouthing off at me was not the ideal reason.

Dragging myself to my feet, I decided that being in that room was the absolutely last place I wanted to be. I headed to the door and managed to open it before slipping out into the hallway. I needed some space, away from people or else bad things were going to happen.

While I didn't know exactly the layout of the place that I had been all but dragged to, I knew where the ground was, how to traverse stairs, and was too wired thanks to pain to really feel tired. So with some wrong turns, stumbles on the dark stairs, and nearly interrupting what seemed to be a tender moment between a pair of students, I found the ground floor and immediately made for the nearest exit I could find. It didn't take me too long to find one and soon I was in the open air with the night sky above me and a courtyard around me.

"At least these people have taste," I muttered bitterly, seeing all of the expansive and artistic plants decorating the area.

Finding an ornate stone bench, I sat down and took several deep breaths. I was agitated, in pain and still confused. Did I mention agitated? Feeling the Medal Book jabbing my side again, I lifted my shirt and yanked it out from a pouch I had sewn into my pants. I didn't have any normal pockets big enough to stick it into so I had to get semi-creative in how to hold onto it. It was a custom prop I had made myself. The Medal Book from the series wasn't able to hold all of the Core Medals from all of the Greeed. I personally made the book with several pages with seven complete sets of Core Medals. Green, red, yellow, grey, blue, purple, black, and orange were all there. There were even a few Cell Medals to go with them. I had to go through a lot of pages of eBay and other sites just to get the complete sets.

"The whole collection and no one to impress with it," I muttered, pulling a Taka Medal out to admire it…

Wait a minute. My eyes narrowed on the Medal in my hand. This didn't feel like the light plastic of the toys I had collected over a period of a month. It felt like an actual piece of metal rather than an imitation of some kind. Trust me; the difference between plastic and metal is very distinct. I remembered heading out of my house that morning with plastic imitations, but now I had solid metal Medals.

"What the…?" I frowned.

I pulled out the Tora and Batta Medals, finding them to be the same as the Taka Medal. Running my fingers over the rest of my collection, I discovered that they all felt the same. Every single one of them had turned from plastic to solid metal. How that had happened I wasn't quite sure. I had to admit it was kind of cool though.

Clutching the three Medals in my hand, I set the book aside and stood up. I was still wearing the O-Driver, the prop somehow surviving everything I had been through. Letting the three Medals jingle in my hand, I considered what it might mean. Honestly, I didn't have a clue. Still, I was somewhat agitated over what I had been through for the day and decided that some stress relief was in order.

"Might as well," I shrugged. "It would go to waste otherwise."

Taking the Batta and Taka Medals, I slipped them into their appropriate spots. The Tora Medal was slipped into the centre. Shifting the buckle to a diagonal position, I heard a pulsing noise from the buckle. That wasn't anything new since it made that noise whenever I put it into position. Plucking the O-Scanner from my side, I gripped it and moved into the position which Eiji Hino used before swiping the O-Scanner across the three Medals, a chiming noise sounding off like always.

I couldn't help myself, "Henshin!"

My world then lit up with colour.

"**TAKA!**"

"**TORA!**"

"**BATTA!**"

"**TA-TO-BA TATOBA TA-TO-BA!**"

"HOLY SHIT!"

* * *

><p>I didn't get much sleep that night. I was just too wired. First it was because of the pain that Louise put me through with her explosion. Then it was because I had just discovered something absolutely awesome and was too excited to sleep.<p>

"Look down on me eh?" I grinned travelling the halls back to Louise's room. "Treat me like a dog? Oh, won't you be surprised if you try that exploding trick again!" I cackled at the thought of the pinkette attempting to blow me up for my 'disobedience' again and what I would spring on her if she tried. Oh revenge would be sweet.

"Um…excuse me?" a soft voice suddenly spoke up.

I blinked, brought out of my cackling thoughts of revenge. Turning to who had spoken to me, I saw that it had been one of the maids that were employed in the school. She was wearing a dark dress with a white apron over it and a simple hair decoration that maids would usually wear. She had short dark hair and a gentle look on her face. However, she did look reasonably concerned as she gazed at me.

"Oh, sorry," I grimaced, feeling my cheeks heat up. "I was sort of cackling uncontrollably there, wasn't I?"

"A little," the maid nodded. "So you're okay then?"

"Better than okay!" I grinned, feeling the excitement of what I had discovered coming back to me. "Sorry to have worried you."

"That's okay!" the maid beamed. "If you'll excuse me though, I have to go help serve breakfast."

"Sure," I nodded. "Sorry to keep you."

Smiling, the maid left to go about her daily tasks. I personally found it refreshing that there was someone who was actually nice around this whole place. So with a somewhat brighter disposition, I continued through the halls. I had a marginally good idea as to where Louise's room was and I knew that I just had to get there. I couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she tried to blow me up again only to see what I was capable of doing. The sheer shock which would no doubt appear on her face would make all of my suffering totally worth it.

Finding the proper hallways, I found Louise's room with ease. Just to make sure I wasn't going to walk into an explosion, I slipped the Taka, Tora, and Batta Medals into my pocket in preparation for their use. Preparations complete, I grabbed the door handle and opened the heavy wooden door. Coming into the room, I found that Louise was awake and as usual, irritated. She was still in her frilly nightdress and was tapping her bare foot impatiently on the floor. Looking to her door, she saw me and her frown darkened further.

"Familiar…." She growled out.

"Usually we begin the day by saying 'good morning'," I retorted, pretending not to notice her growing ire. "I see that the concept escapes you right now. I'm sure we can try again tomorrow though."

"Enough of your tongue!" she snapped, stomping towards me. "Why were my clothes not set out for me? They weren't even cleaned either!"

"I was supposed to pick up after you or something?" I blinked.

"Yes! A commoner is always supposed to serve a noble! You should know that!" Louise snapped at me a second time. "It seems you're in need of training. We'll get to that today anyway. Now set out my clothes and dress me."

What? "What?"

"You heard me," Louise frowned. "You are my Familiar and thus must tend to my needs. Nobles need not dress themselves when they have their servants with them."

"I'm sorry, I was under the impression that you were a teenager, not a two year old!" I growled, my good mood at my discovery souring instantly. Louise squawked in outrage as I continued. "You must 'obviously' be a two year old since you 'obviously' can't seem to dress yourself. Would you like me to change your diaper too? Show you how proud I am when you go potty?"

"Of all the insolent-!" Louise raged. Somehow her wand was in her hand again. I was sure that she hadn't been holding it before.

"I have every right to be insolent!" I interrupted her. "You KIDNAPPED me! I don't care if it was for some holy ritual or what not! I did not want to come here! You took me against my will! Where I come from, that is called KIDNAPPING! I don't owe you squat!"

I at this point expected Louise to just blow her top at me again, maybe try to blow me up a second time. Instead she simply seemed to tremble on the spot, still gripping her wand. I was sure that her temper was beginning to boil over before the inevitable explosion occurred. I could see that her face was turning red, a sure indication that she was cheesed off. I had gripped the Medals and bent my legs slightly, ready to leap to the side when she would come after me with her explosions. She looked up at me and I prepared for the worst…

…but I saw tears instead.

"Huh…"

"GET OUT!" Louise sobbed/screamed. "JUST GET OUT!"

Frowning, I did just that. Were she angry at me, I would have stuck around to mouth off a little more. Since she was crying, I figured I had done enough damage and some space would be necessary. Turning, I left the room while shutting the door behind me.

* * *

><p><em>Louise sobbed as she curled up on her bed. Why was she always such a failure? Why did she always have to screw up? Had she offended the divinity or something? All she wanted was a powerful Familiar. A Familiar she could be proud of, that she could use to prove that she wasn't a Zero. Instead, she got a commoner who was mouthy and showed absolutely no respect. Despite the runes on his hand which marked him as her Familiar and the one she summoned, he showed absolutely no loyalty or respect. She may as well have dragged a commoner off of the streets and paid him for all the worth her current Familiar was. Every argument they had was just another shove in her face about how badly she screwed up. She had thought that after a good night's sleep as to get rid of the tension and a firm hand in the morning things would begin to smooth over. All of the teaching and advice she got on Familiars seemed to agree with that. Instead, her Familiar only got mouthier and his insults more hurtful. Her pride was seriously wounded of course, but she herself was hurt more by the insults and how they reminded her of how badly she had screwed up.<em>

_What had she done wrong?_

* * *

><p>I grumbled as I walked past all of the other students in the great hall, which served as the closest way out of the castle. Of course, they all took notice of me and whispers began. Most of them were wondering why I wasn't with Louise to serve her or something along those lines. I just ignored them and slipped through the double doors and out into the entry halls to make my escape. I was feeling pretty rotten about making Louise cry and despite how much she may have deserved it, I still felt bad about it.<p>

"Why couldn't she have been angry?" I asked myself, reaching the double doors which led to the courtyards. "It's always easier to deal with someone who's angry."

"Well hello there, Louise's Familiar," a sultry voice spoke up as I exited, halting my brooding thoughts.

I turned to the source and just past the doors I saw several outdoor tables set up with white linen tablecloths with several of the students drinking tea with friends and their Familiars. Most of them were dogs, cats, and other things. The one who had spoken to me was the redhead from yesterday, Kirche. Beside her was a large lizard which was bright red and had frills on its head. I was pretty sure that it was exhaling steam, as if its internal temperature was much higher than the temperature outside. With them was the blue-haired girl with red glasses, still reading her book. With her was a large blue dragon which had a large pair of wings, solid green eyes, and a frilled head.

"Uh…?" I blinked, more at the two creatures than the hot redhead.

Kirche apparently thought that I was stunned by her if her giggle was any indication, "Don't be shy! We don't bite."

"It's not you I worry about," I muttered, but nonetheless took the unspoken invitation. Walking to the table, I took a seat. I kept an eye on the dragon and the reptile in sight in case they tried anything funny. The blue-haired girl merely glanced at me before returning her gaze to her book. Kirche on the other hand just smiled at me.

"So where is Louise?" asked the chesty redhead. "Today's the day that we and our Familiars are supposed to get to know each other. Did she send you ahead to find a table?"

"No," I sighed, massaging my temple. The image of Louise crying wouldn't leave my head and it was making me feel crappy. "She and I had a fight so she sent me away. As far as I know she's still locked up in her room."

"You fought?" Kirche blinked in surprise. "That's odd. Surely a Familiar and their master should get along splendidly. Myself and Flame are nigh inseparable and it has only been a day since we met," The large red lizard perked at the mention of its apparent name before the rest of Kirche's sentence reached it. The beast croaked happily before Kirche smiled and rubbed the ridges along its head.

"Well, where I come from Familiars are animals and such, not people," I muttered, crossing my arms. "I didn't quite appreciate being yanked out of the middle of the street in my hometown to end up being expected to obey a girl just because she said so."

"Point," the blue-haired girl commented before continuing her reading.

"Hmm, that's true isn't it Tabitha?" asked Kirche, a finger on her chin. "If I just found myself someplace new and told to obey someone I've never met before than I suppose I'd be rather irritable myself. Then again, we should have known that Louise the Zero would summon something besides a normal Familiar!"

"Louise the Zero?" I blinked. I think one of the students called her that back when I was summoned the previous day.

"It's her nickname, one I coined if I must admit," Kirche grinned impishly. Leaning forward slightly so to show off her cleavage better, she let her eyes turn smoky before she explained, "You see, there are five elements of magic: fire, water, earth, wind, and the lost element of the void. Every magician can be categorized into one of the four elements. I myself have the affinity for fire. However, Louise on the other hand seems to have absolutely no aptitude for the known elements. Every spell she tries ends up a failure, usually signalled by an explosion. Most of us doubted that she'd get a Familiar at all."

"I see," I nodded, half distracted by the girl's breasts. Honestly, they had to be the biggest pair I had ever seen in my age group. Wait, what was I thinking about? …oh yeah, "So Louise doesn't have much skill with magic so she screwed up the ritual and got me instead of a normal Familiar?"

"Odd," the bookish girl Tabitha commented.

"Huh?"

"She means that you're the odd point," Kirche translated. "As far as we know, Louise did the ritual correctly so we're not too sure how it came to be that you were summoned." She licked her lips and played with the plunging neckline of her blouse. "That makes you quite the mystery. I would love to investigate…"

'_Oh I wish you would,_' I thought treacherously with some red coming to my cheeks. It was painfully obvious that Kirche was pulling some kind of seduction move. It was tremendously effective in my opinion. Kirche knew just how to use her body so to bring out the maximum hormonal effect from a boy and I am far from too proud to admit that she was doing a fine job on me.

DING! DONG!

A loud bell ringing snapped me out of the growing hormonal haze. Compared to the world of pain Louise treated me, it was almost like touching heaven. However, that slice of heaven remained out of my reach as the bell alerted both Kirche and Tabitha of something else.

"Poo! Classes again," the sultry redhead huffed. Finishing her tea, she stood up. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Louise's Familiar. I look forward to another talk." With a saucy wink, she gestured at her familiar. "Come, Flame."

"Come," Tabitha echoed to her own Familiar as she and her friend left the table. The dragon and reptile snapped to attention and quickly hopped after their masters. I was left alone at the table with the fanciful images of Kirche's flirting and saucy speech. At least I would have some fuel for some nice dreams tonight.

* * *

><p>With not much else to do and refusing to go back to Louise after our latest argument, I decided to wander around the grounds some more to see what else was hanging around the school. After a bit of exploring, I found that all of the students looked to be well-groomed and rather fragile-looking in some cases. The teachers seemed to have a bit more grit to them, but for the most part looked like the kinds of folks you'd see in a library rather than out and about. The groundskeepers, cooks, and even the maids all looked much hardier and sturdier. You didn't have to be a genius yourself to know that there was a clear line between classes of people.<p>

There was also an absurd amount of animals hanging around the place as well, obviously Familiars of the other students. For the most part, they appeared to be like regular animals like dogs, cats, the odd bird, and even a frog or two. What made them stand out was their actions. I spotted the birds delivering messages, the dogs and cats fetching items, and I even saw a mouse actually peeking up a woman's skirt as if trying to memorize her undergarments. Of course, there were some exotic ones like Tabitha's dragon or Kirche's salamander which really stood out. The weirdest thing of all was the floating eyeball which I later learned was called a bugbear, although how it got such a name was well beyond me.

So with my hands in my pockets and letting my three Core Medals jingle I wandered about, wondering what I was going to do with myself.

Wandering about through some kind of courtyard, I just kept to my thoughts as the various students around me simply pretended that I wasn't there. It miffed me a little bit, but since everyone there was apparently some kind of spoiled rich kid I guess that shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise. I couldn't just lose my temper on them for my wounded pride at being so casually ignored. Well, not in good conscience anyway. Once I did have a reason though…heh, heh, heh.

*GURGLE*

"Ugh," I grumbled, looking at my stomach in irritation. The savage growling in my stomach reminded me that I hadn't had anything to eat since the previous night. In all of the concussion and arguing, I had forgotten to feed myself. With my newest priority noted and set, I decided to try and go discover where the kitchens of the massive castle were and maybe beg myself some food. Maybe if I was lucky, the chef wouldn't be a spoiled snob like the students around me.

"Excuse me?"

I blinked and turned to the speaker, pleasantly surprised to see the black-haired maid from the morning glancing at me in concern once again. Chuckling slightly, I scratched the back of my head in slight embarrassment, "Ah, sorry. Just hungry I suppose."

"Didn't Ms. Valliere feed you?" asked the maid, looking more concerned than over my cackling episode. "It is the responsibility for the master's to care for their Familiars."

"You don't say," I sighed, closing my eyes. Heaving my breath, I opened them again to gaze at the girl. "Well, my 'master' and I got into a pretty big fight so I'm more or less having to fend for myself at breakfast."

"Oh no!" the maid gasped, covering her mouth in shock. Apparently, having to fend for myself as the Familiar of one of these students was something of a big deal. The level of shock this girl was showing seemed equal to that of hearing someone was abusing animals. I wasn't sure if I should have felt better or not about that. Clenching her fists under her chin, the maid's face turned resolute. "That's not right! Don't worry! Just follow me and I'll get you a nice meal for breakfast!"

"Uh…," I blinked, slightly surprised by the sudden show of determination. "Okay."

Hey, if I was getting some free food out of it who was I to complain?

* * *

><p>The maid introduced herself as Siesta as she guided me down to the kitchens. There she managed to scrounge up a bowl of stew, two large buns, and a glass of juice for me. She had sheepishly admitted that it was the only things that the staff could eat, but I wasn't complaining. It was delicious and the bread was warm and soft, just the way I liked it. Siesta was of course delighted to hear that.<p>

Eventually I started asking questions about just where I had ended up and the happy maid was more than willing to explain. Apparently I was summoned to a world which had magic occurring as a daily event. I had guessed that much from the markings on my hand, the weird creatures, and the flying students from the previous day. What Siesta told me that was news though was that the only ones who could use magic were the nobility and royalty. Everyone else was just referred to as a commoner since they couldn't use magic at all. It was a fact that a lot of nobility didn't mind cramming into the faces of those they considered 'beneath' them.

"No wonder you got upset when I mentioned I had a fight with Louise," I commented, taking a sip from my cup.

"Yes. You have a lot of courage to stand up for yourself like that!" Siesta nodded with a smile, but then her brightness faded away as concern and more than a little fear appeared. "…but if you anger her too much, it could bring down horrible consequences. Commoners just can't stand up to the nobility."

"Hm," I muttered around the edge of my cup before I drained it dry. Setting it on the table, I collected my now cleaned plates into one pile. "Well, enough about that for now. I kind of owe you one for giving me that meal. How about I help you out with something?"

"Really?" Siesta blinked. Seeing me nod, she beamed. "Then could you please help me deliver the cakes for the lunchtime desert? Most of the other servants are out with their other duties and it would take me a while to do it myself."

"I'd be happy to," I grinned.

Siesta showed me where the boxed deserts were and we both loaded up some fancy trolleys with the cakes. Stocked up, she showed me to the main dining hall where they would be served. I remembered seeing the place that morning when I stormed out. Now I was able to get a better look at it. The place was certainly fancy enough for nobility, which went far to explain why the whole castle looked so damn good and why the students were so snobby. There were long tables like I had seen last time and of course many of the chairs were filled with students who were apparently waiting for the cakes Siesta and I were delivering. Some were still eating lunch, talking about their studies or bragging about their families. If it weren't for the obvious snobbish speech and some practicing their minor spells at the table, I could have mistaken the students for regular people my age.

They ignored me as I helped Siesta set down cakes for them to take part in. They were already pre-sliced and ready to take so the students politely and properly began taking pieces for themselves. I was just glad that they had gotten over the novelty of me being Louise's familiar. I didn't need more people gawking at me or whispering about me behind my back.

Setting down one particularly good-looking chocolate and strawberry cake, I began to hear some kind of commotion coming from the end of another table. Looking up in curiosity, I saw three people having an argument. The first was a cute girl with long brown hair who seemed very homely and humble. The second was another girl who just screamed noble with her long blonde hair done up in large curls with the rest tied by a large ribbon. The last was a boy who had short golden hair which seemed to be perfectly windswept. His face was devilishly handsome and the collar of his uniform was unbuttoned to reveal a bit of his chest. He was even holding a rose in his hand and posing dramatically as if the two girls arguing with him were physically wounding him. All in all, he looked like a true bishonen.

"Why didn't you tell me about Miss Montmorency?-!" demanded the first girl.

"You've been putting the moves on this first year, haven't you?-!" snapped the blonde, assumedly named Montmorency. "Fess up already!"

"You misunderstand!" the boy sighed, posing quite dramatically. I could almost see the beautiful flowers appearing behind him. Oh wait…there were beautiful flowers behind him in some kind of vase. No doubt from the girls' viewpoint, he had that beautiful image rising up from behind. Hm, the guy knew his posing. "Why? Why must you speak of such things?"

His posing didn't seem to work on the girls, with the blonde become visibly enraged, "You've been two-timing! Admit it!"

"I know you have!" cried the brunette.

"Now really?" the boy sighed, twirling his cloak. "What makes you think such things? What proof do you have?"

As he was twirling around, I noticed a stack of what looked like letters fall out from the folds of his cloak and land on the floor. He didn't seem to notice, but I of course wasn't going to turn down the chance to teach this joker a lesson. Waltzing over while avoiding the attention of everyone else, I scooped up the letters and eyed them. They were made a rose-print stationary and they had been addressed to someone named Guiche, the boy I assumed. However, they were from two different girls. Half were from someone named Katie, while the other half were from the blonde Montmorency.

Oh he was going to go down hard.

"Hey playboy," I grinned, catching the attention of the two girls and the boy. I waved the small stack of letters, making the boy's face pale quite dramatically. "You dropped something here. Rose-printed envelopes too. That just screams love letter to me."

The boy, Guiche, paled further while the girls began to gather steam. The blonde playboy reacted quickly and waved his hand in a dramatic fashion, "I do not know what you are talking about, commoner. Obviously you are mistaken and someone else dropped those letters. You may as well dispose of them."

"Maybe," I shrugged. "But they're addressed to you, if you name is Guiche. Also, these letters are from two different girls named Katie and Montmorency."

Guiche gulped before both girls' faces turned into a form I can only describe as pure righteous feminine fury. It had happened almost too fast for me to follow, but both girls gave off what I could only describe as an Amazonian war cry before their hands smacked Guiches cheeks at a pace which I was pretty sure broke the sound barrier. The boy hit the ground with smoke practically coming up from his head while both of the slighted young women stomped off to do whatever girls do to get over being jilted.

"Well, that's my good deed for the day," I shrugged, dropping the letters onto a table. I looked around and saw that a small ring of students were watching what had happened and they looked rather shocked. If it was about what Guiche had done or my intervention, I couldn't be sure though. Anyway, I had to help Siesta finish serving the cakes and maybe if I was lucky there would be an extra one I could get a slice out of.

"You there…"

I blinked as I heard the playboy's voice. Turning, I saw that he had rolled over and was sitting on the floor. His face was no longer looking like someone who was trying to woo a lady, but a guy who had a serious bone to pick with someone.

"I hope you are prepared for the consequences of your actions," he frowned, getting back onto his feet. "A commoner showing such attitudes towards a noble. You are asking for trouble with that kind of tongue."

"At least I can stay faithful to a girl I like," I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest. "I thought a noble would be capable of doing that much."

The ring of students gasped at the proclamation I made. Several were looking on in rapt fascination, no doubt sensing that violence was about to come down. Guiche merely gritted his teeth while his cheeks flushed in rage at my very clear and intended insult. He produced a rose from his sleeve and held it in front of his face to hide his somewhat disgraceful emotions before speaking, "It seems that the only way to teach you some manners is to beat them into you," he pointed the rose at me. "I challenge you to a duel!"

The students gasped, but I remained unfazed. After all, I had something of a secret weapon, "Accepted. When and where?"

"Noooo!" a female voiced cried out. I was suddenly assaulted at the side by a distraught Siesta as she tugged at my arm, trying to drag me away. "You can't duel a noble! Didn't you listen to anything I said in the kitchen? A commoner can't beat a noble!" she began to tear up. "Just apologize and maybe he'll let you go!"

"I am feeling generous today since you are new here and all," Guiche nodded, hearing Siesta's cry. I think he was only feeling generous because Siesta, an admittedly cute girl, was trying to get me to see things his way and thus he wanted to impress her with his 'generosity'. "If you apologize right now, I'll forget about the duel and even forgive you for your slanderous words."

I immediately forgot Siesta was on my arm and scowled at the spoiled snot. Just the tone in his voice set me off. His arrogant voice and that sheer smugness he exuded made me want to punch his teeth out. He probably already saw himself as the victor in the duel since he knew he could use magic and thought that I couldn't. Well, I couldn't use magic like he probably could, but I had something which I was damn sure was magic that would definitely let me at least even if not dominate the playing field.

"I will not apologize for something you brought on yourself," I frowned. The students gasped again while Siesta's tears began to grow larger. Guiche just got a vein on his head to indicate he was getting angry. "I will duel you, and I will win."

"Very well," Guiche shrugged, playing it cool. "We will duel in one hour hence, in Vestri Court."

"I'll be there," I nodded.

Shrugging, Guiche left while all of the other students began to talk excitedly about the upcoming duel. Others immediately darted off, no doubt to tell their friends about it. I had a feeling that Guiche had made it an hour from now so that the whole school would hear of it and bring about a huge audience for him to show off to. Still, I didn't care. It would just mean more people would see just what I was capable of and how I was in the right for what I did rather than he was.

"…you'll be killed."

The heartbroken murmur snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked down to Siesta who was now crying, looking like I was already dead. I would have tried to say something to her, but she merely let go of me as she tried to wipe her eyes in vain. "YOU'LL BE KILLED!" She turned to run away, but I reacted quickly. Reaching out, I grabbed her arm and abruptly turned her around to face me. Her cheeks were blotchy already and the tears weren't stopping. Strangely, she reminded me of a kicked puppy.

"Siesta, I can win!" I stated firmly, making her look up to me in shock. "I know that I can win and more importantly, I know how I can win." Somehow, the sheer confidence I had in my voice made Siesta's eyes widen even more. "But I'm going to need your help to make it a guarantee."

"Eh?"

* * *

><p><em>Louise sighed, washing her face to get the last of the tear tracks out of it. It had taken her a while, but she had finally gotten over the hurtful things her Familiar had said to her. Of course, now she was going to have to punish him immediately so to help force some discipline into that thick head of his. Less than stellar at magic she was, she was still a noble and nobody talked to her that way, Familiar or not!<em>

_After getting her clothes on, a job which she grumbled should have been her familiar's, she stepped out of her room and began to head down to the main hall in order to get some food. Perhaps if she saw her Familiar first, she could make him watch her eat while he got nothing. Taking his meals away for a while would be a good start, but she didn't want to overdo it since not eating would eventually become unhealthy._

"_Hey, did you hear?" she heard one fellow student ask another while she travelled in the halls. "Guiche has challenged that commoner of Louise's to a duel out in Vestri court."_

"_He did? Wow, that commoner must be dumb then," the second snickered. "When is it happening?"_

"_In a few minutes," replied the first. "Want to go watch?"_

_Louise immediately ground to a halt as she felt the blood drain from her face. Her Familiar? Duelling Guiche? Granted that Guiche was only a Dot Class mage at the moment, and he was just a womanizing flirt as far as the pinkette was concerned but he was still a mage while her Familiar was just a commoner!_

"_That idiot!" Louise cried, starting to run in the direction of Vestri Court._

* * *

><p>With Siesta's help, I managed to arrive at Vestri Court on time. As expected, it was a courtyard which was expansive and had more than enough room for a duel. It was mostly open grassland but the ivy creeping up the walls was a nice touch.<p>

I walked across the grass to where Guiche was waiting, who apparently had an entourage of his fellow students that wanted to see the action. I myself had Siesta following me, the Medal Book clutched in her hands. Her knuckles were turning white from the pressure she was gripping the item with. When I got within several feet of Guiche, I came to a stop.

"I commend you for not running away," Guiche smirked. "If nothing else, you are a brave commoner."

"A backhanded compliment, but I suppose I'll take it," I shrugged. Staring at Guiche, I got down to business. "What are the terms of victory and defeat?"

"The first to surrender or be knocked out will lose," Guiche replied, stepping away from his fellow students so we wouldn't get them involved. "Fair?"

"Fair," I nodded. "One question though. Is there a rule preventing the participants from swapping weapons which are in the care of an attendant?"

"Hmm," Guiche frowned, closing his eyes to ponder the question. A few girls tittered among themselves about how meditative and charming he seemed when he was in thought. After a moment, he shrugged and looked back to me. "So long as the attendant does not take part in the battle, I suppose I could allow it. You'll need all of the weapons you can carry though."

"Your generosity astounds me," I muttered flatly.

"Yes, so it should," he chuckled, raising his rose. "Shall we begin?"

"STOP!"

Both Guiche and I looked out to the sidelines and saw a familiar head of pink hair cram her way through the students before coming into the open field. I almost groaned at seeing Louise. Of all the times she could have decided to hunt me down, it had to be now?

"I forbid this duel from happening!" she snapped before pointing at me. "You! Apologize to Guiche now so we can forget this foolishness."

"Denied," I replied, making Louise growl with anger and everyone else gape in surprise. No doubt that stemmed from how Familiars were supposed to be completely obedient to their masters. "Louise, this duel is a matter strictly between myself and Guiche. You have no say in it."

"No say?-!" Louise screeched.

"My, what a disobedient Familiar," Guiche snickered, a sound echoed by his classmates.

"Shut up," I frowned. This guy was really beginning to agitate me. "In this duel, I'm not a commoner and you aren't a noble. Right now, we're just two men putting our pride on the line and fighting for what we believe is the right thing. Forget status, forget stations and simply duel."

"How eloquently put," Guiche nodded. "If you spoke like that when we first met I may have mistaken you as a fellow noble. However, now our battle must begin." He raised his rose as a pool of light surrounded him. He then waved it as a petal drifted off and floated towards me. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Guiche de Gramont. My runic name is Guiche the Bronze!" The rose petal landed on the ground several feet in front of me before it flashed and from the ground appeared something new. It was the same height as Guiche, and covered in armour despite showing all of the curves that a woman would have and eloquently decorated with flattering armour and wings on its helmet but it was completely made out of bronze. In its right had was a simple spear with a decorative tip that seemed razor sharp. The only way I could tell that it wasn't human was by the limbs and how thin they were. No human save for perhaps an anorexic model would have limbs that thin. They looked like they would belong on a puppet of some kind.

"My Bronze Golem, Valkyrie shall be both my weapon and your opponent," the blonde finished with a twirl of his rose.

That…was a pretty impressive trick the guy just pulled. I had some difficulty trying to not gape at the instant creation of a bronze knight and focus on what I was going to do to fight it. Still, I managed to pull it off and keep my composure, "Then allow me to introduce myself," I pulled out the O-Driver from my pocket and pressed it to my waist. It was with some relief that I felt the belt section wrap around me, much to the surprise of the witnesses. "My birth name is Matthew MacGregor. However, I have a second name too."

I pulled the Taka, Tora, and Batta Medals out of my pocket and quickly inserted them into their respective slots. I wasn't sure if Guiche was going to attack or if he was politely waiting for me to finish so the duel could begin, but I couldn't take the risk. As the Medals were inserted, the Driver began to pulse as I let it shift diagonally. Grabbing the O-Scanner, I struck the Eiji Hino pose and scanned the three Medals with three chiming noises.

"Henshin!"

"**TAKA!**"

"**TORA!**"

"**BATTA!**"

"**TA-TO- BA TATOBA TA-TO-BA!**"

I became surrounded by spinning coloured Medals which accompanied the transformation so I couldn't be too sure how everyone around me was reacting to the event. The gasps and cries of shock were a good indicator though. I stood up straight to allow for a smoother transformation process, if it could be interrupted anyway. In front of me, I spied images of the three Medals I was using appear. Taka was of course on the top, Tora was in the middle, and Batta was at the bottom. The three images then combined into one large crest which flew backwards and into my chest. My body then became enveloped in energy which swiftly hardened into solid armour.

I knew the suit by heart. My helmet was mainly black, save for the red faceplate which looked like a hawk with its wings spread out in flight. On my forehead and acting as the hawk's beak was a red crystal. I could see through the large eyeholes, but everything was tinted green. Running from my chin and down my neck was a red line that was connected to the top portion of the image on my chest. My torso armour had rounded shoulders that had yellow lines on them. Yellow lines ran down my arms and into the yellow gauntlets I wore decorated with what looked like folded claws on the forearm. Lastly my legs were minimally covered with segmented green armour not unlike that of a grasshopper's legs, connected by green lines to the lower section of the crest I bore.

When the armour was on, my vision cleared and I could see everyone's reaction. As I had half expected, everyone was gaping at what had occurred. I could guess that it was of course going to be a shock, seeing what I did. It was without a doubt magical and up until that point, everyone assumed that I was a commoner and completely incapable of standing up to a noble verbally, much less use magic myself.

I think Louise put it in words first with her cry of, "Wh-wh-WHAT?-!"

"Now allow me to introduce myself with my other name," I snickered, ignoring Louise's sputtering.

"I am Kamen Rider OOO!"

* * *

><p>AN: Well, say hello to my summer project. It took me a while, but I managed to get through Familiar of Zero Season 1 and got hooked on this story. I managed to get a lot done so expect daily updates for this fic barring time for editing.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Kamen Rider OOO or Familiar of Zero. I am only writing this for fun and not for any kind of profit. So kick back, relax, and enjoy the fruits of my labour.

**Familiar of ZerOOO**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**CHAPTER 2: The Duel, The Medals and The Hawk**

"Henshin!"

"**TAKA!**"

"**TORA!**"

"**BATTA!**"

"**TA-TO- BA TATOBA TA-TO-BA!**"

I became surrounded by spinning coloured Medals which accompanied the transformation so I couldn't be too sure how everyone around me was reacting to the event. The gasps and cries of shock were a good indicator though. I stood up straight to allow for a smoother transformation process, if it could be interrupted anyway. In front of me, I spied images of the three Medals I was using appear. Taka was of course on the top, Tora was in the middle, and Batta was at the bottom. The three images then combined into one large crest which flew backwards and into my chest. My body then became enveloped in energy which swiftly hardened into solid armour.

I knew the suit by heart. My helmet was mainly black, save for the red faceplate which looked like a hawk with its wings spread out in flight. On my forehead and acting as the hawk's beak was a red crystal. I could see through the large eyeholes, but everything was tinted green. Running from my chin and down my neck was a red line that was connected to the top portion of the image on my chest. My torso armour had rounded shoulders that had yellow lines on them. Yellow lines ran down my arms and into the yellow gauntlets I wore decorated with what looked like folded claws on the forearm. Lastly my legs were minimally covered with segmented green armour not unlike that of a grasshopper's legs, connected by green lines to the lower section of the crest I bore.

When the armour was on, my vision cleared and I could see everyone's reaction. As I had half expected, everyone was gaping at what had occurred. I could guess that it was of course going to be a shock, seeing what I did. It was without a doubt magical and up until that point, everyone assumed that I was a commoner and completely incapable of standing up to a noble verbally, much less use magic myself.

I think Louise put it in words first with her cry of, "Wh-wh-WHAT?-!"

"Now allow me to introduce myself with my other name," I snickered, ignoring Louise's sputtering.

"I am Kamen Rider OOO!"

Guiche was doing a very fine imitation of a gasping fish as he tried to take in what I had done. My introduction did manage to snap him out of it though. Shaking his head, he took another of his dramatic stances, pointing his rose at me, "I don't know what kind of magic you used, but it won't save you! Valkyrie, attack!"

The golem in front of me suddenly perked and became more animated. Gripping its weapon, it charged forward at me with the intent of knocking my lights out. Thankfully I wasn't going into this unarmed or maybe I would have been beaten black, blue, and bloody before Guiche decided he was bored. No, I did have a weapon. My whole suit was my weapon!

Dashing forward, I didn't even realize that I was in front of the golem at a much faster pace than I usually would have been. I ignored the sudden speed I wielded, attributing it to the boost that the suit gave me. The golem reacted with reflexes that of a machine, which was understandable since it wasn't alive. Using its spear, it tried to strike me with a wide blow. Still, I could already guess what it was going to do and ducked underneath the blow before rolling to its side. I clenched my fist and prepared to release one hell of an uppercut. This thing wouldn't know what-

_Tora Arms are no good for punching. Batta Legs are best for kicks and jumps. Use Taka Head to target a sensitive spot._

I wasn't sure if it was intuition, instinct, or just some random bit of info which popped into my mind just then. Whatever it was, my body followed it before my mind even thought of it all the way through. My vision flashed red as the targeting power of the Taka Head activated, highlighting the Valkyrie's joints. Picking a target, I twisted and used a roundhouse kick that smashed into the golem's face, making it stumble backwards from the force, but not in pain. If it could sense pain then it would have been writhing from a broken jaw since the right side of its face along the jaw line where I had struck had caved inward in a large dent. The other students could see it as well, bringing gasps from all of them.

I didn't stop there though. On my feet again, I felt power pulse through my legs with a chattering in my ears. Looking down, I saw the Batta section of the crest on my chest flashing as the green section started to glow. I recognized what was happening soon enough and decided to take full advantage of it. Charging forward once again I leaped into the air, managing to pull off some serious hang time before I started using several bicycle kicks which impacted against the golem's face and torso. Each impact gave off a green burst of energy before a final kick into the face sent the construct flying back again. This time, it was covered in even more dents.

"How can he be doing this?"

"Are you sure he's a commoner?"

"Maybe he's a noble from his home country?"

The surprised mutterings from the collected audience met my ears, but I didn't show any recognition to it as I watched both Guiche and his recovering construct. The blonde was getting aggravated and no doubt more upset that not only had I revealed him as a playboy, but was showing him up once again in front of probably a good chunk of his classmates. I still couldn't tell what Louise and Siesta's reactions to my suit and the ongoing battle were since I hadn't spared a glance at them, but since they weren't screaming or yelling something I assumed that they were content to watch at the moment.

"Tsk!" Guiche snorted, clutching his rose tightly. "It seems I slightly underestimated your brutish strength. One Valkyrie won't be enough it seems," He raised his rose and gave off another pulse of magic before sending another fluttering petal towards me and his first puppet. The petal hit the ground and quickly formed into the body of an untouched golem that quickly took a combative stance next to the recovered first one.

"Oh damn," I groaned. One golem I apparently could take on fine, but I wasn't sure how facing two would go. This was my first test drive in the armour for crying out loud! I took another stance which popped into my mind just as the two golems charged at me with their spears. Both worked in complete tandem as they bore down on me. Both took the same steps, raised their weapons in the same manner, and even brought them down on me at the exact same time while aiming at the same spot.

KLANG!

Both weapons landed on my right arm, blocked by both the armour and the claws which adorned it. I braced my right arm with my left one, struggling slightly against the combined strength that the two Valkyries wielded. Acting quickly, I held out my left arm and suddenly felt a pulse run through it while a tiger's roar echoed in my ears. The claws on my left arm unfolded and I quickly lashed out. The claws caught the new Valkyrie in the face, making it stumble back while distracting the other one and leaving it open for a kick to knock it away.

With the breathing space, I took in my situation. The first golem was covered in dents, but other than disrupting whatever made it follow orders I didn't seem any closer to crushing the damn thing than I was when the duel started. The second golem had some sizable gouges in its face, but other than being superficial it didn't seem that the damage was bothering it. Guiche himself seemed as fresh as a daisy. Creating two golems didn't seem to have been much of a problem for him. He looked slightly pale, but that may have been nerves at what I was doing rather than hinting at any kind of physical condition. I was likely going to tire out sooner than he did if the duel went on much longer.

'_Going to need a bit more power_,' I ponder to myself. Daring to glance back, I spotted my current attendant who was gaping openly while holding the book I gave her tightly. "Siesta!"

"Ah!" the maid gasped, earning looks from everyone nearby whom no doubt wondered why I was calling her in the middle of the duel. She had apparently been mesmerised by what was happening in front of her and only snapped out of it because I called her name. "I'm here!"

"Gorilla and elephant! Now!" I shouted, glancing at the two golems as they began making their approach again, this time more cautiously since Guiche wasn't sure what I was doing.

"Right!" the dutiful maid nodded, opening the book. She turned the page while Louise and everyone near her looked over her shoulder to see what she was trying to find. No doubt they were confused about the Core Medals lining the pages.

In the hour leading up to the duel, I had shown Siesta all of the Core Medals. I had of course intended her to hold them and pass them to me if or when I needed them. Since I wasn't sure how the animal kingdom in Tristain stacked up, I had to quiz her on what she thought the animals were. She didn't know what some of them were, namely the dinosaur Medals and some of the more exotic animal ones like elephant, crocodile, cheetah, and the likes but she caught on quickly.

"Got them!" Siesta announced, pulling the two Core Medals in question out of the book. Clenching them in her hand, she pulled her arm back before throwing them at me. "Catch!"

The two grey Medals flew through the air and indeed I did catch them in my one hand, "Much obliged!" Turning back to face the golems, I put my O-Driver back into its horizontal position and removed the Tora and Batta Medals before stuffing them into the left side of my belt where OOO would have usually kept a bunch of Cell medals for emergencies. Taking the new Medals, I slotted them into position before shifting the buckle diagonally again. Taking the O-Scanner, I swiped it across the buckle.

"**TAKA!**"

"**GORILLA!**"

"**ZOU!**"

Three images of Medals appeared before me again. The first was of course the red Taka Medal, but the second was a grey gorilla face while the third was a grey elephant face. The three Medals merged into one before colliding with my chest again, transforming my armour.

The audience gasped as they saw my new suit in its entirety. My shoulder pads had grown larger and more angular with several grey lines running along the edges. My forearms were covered in large gauntlets which were almost entirely silver save for black lines decorating them. From a distance, they made my forearms look large and muscular. My legs had likewise changed, the thighs being covered in segmented grey armour on the sides. The knees downward were covered in more grey armour which was segmented running down my shins while the knees and feet sported jagged tips.

"Now we're cooking!" I laughed clenching my fists. I could literally feel the raw strength running through my arms and legs through the Gorilla and Zou Medals. I looked to Guiche and grinned savagely.

I was pretty sure he could tell I was grinning by the way he shuddered, "Y-you don't frighten me, commoner! Valkyries, attack!"

The two golems stopped their cautious movement and went for a direct charge at me. I didn't back down and instead charged back at them. The scarred Valkryie was faster than the dented one and managed to get to me first before thrusting its spear at me. I of course reared back and punched at it. My gauntlet met the spear's tip and for a second, I feared that I would get cut by the enemy weapon. Instead of that happened, the bronze spear crumpled like tissue paper before my punch continued on and struck the golem's face with a hollow booming noise. The Valkyrie's head crumbled deeply at first, but then broke apart into several large chunks. The remaining body seemed to vanish like dust in the wind, leaving only a rose petal behind.

Unconcerned with its comrade's demise, the dented golem reached me and attacked with an overhead strike. I raised my left arm in reflexive defence as the weapon struck. As the weapon hit, it suddenly bent from the impact, making it useless. Never one to waste a good opportunity, I lashed out with my right arm and caught the golem in the chest with another echoing boom. Like its comrade before, the golem shattered at the point of impact with its arms and head falling to the ground. The pieces then vanished with another rose petal left behind.

"EEK!" Guiche cried out, finally showing his fear as I turned to face him again. He quickly waved his rose yet again, this time bringing out three new Valkyries to use against me. They didn't even wait for the order to attack before they charged against me.

"This is getting old," I grunted, taking another stance in preparation to punch the golems. I could do this all-

_The Zou Legs can incapacitate them._

I blinked again at the sudden insight before the sounds of a trumpeting elephant sounded off in my ears while more power flooded into my legs. Watching the approaching trio, I left my stance and raised my leg. Feeling silly despite knowing what was about to happen, I stomped my foot into the ground.

***BOOM!***

The ground shook from my stomp, making the audience scream and cry in shock as they struggled to keep their balance. The golems were no exception as they stopped their charge so to better right themselves. The tremor wouldn't last too long, but luckily I didn't have to stop with just one.

***BOOM!***

***BOOM!***

***BOOM!***

I stomped again and again and again, causing more and more tremors to race through the ground and many of the students lost their balance and fell over. Their cries of confusion and slight panic sure were amusing, but my attention was focused more on the three golems. After the third stomp, they had lost their balance and collapsed into a heap and were struggling to get back up again. Seeing my chance, I grasped the O-Scanner and swiped it across the Medals on my buckle a second time.

"**SCANNING CHARGE!**"

Information and power both raced through my mind and body. With the final attack of the three Medals I was using approaching, I knew exactly how to execute it. I leaped into the air once again, and then came back down on both feet with a resounding crash. The force of the attack actually caused a ripple in the ground which as fortunately only travelled towards the golems. The ripple of course got them and flung them into the air. My Taka Head took them in and immediately spotted the right place I would need to strike in order to take down all three at once. Target acquired, I ran towards the rising golems with my gauntlets raised, glowing brighter with power. The golems reached the apex of their flight and were coming down fast as I got closer. I quickly reared back my arms and prepared to punch. Guiche looked like he was about to wet himself, possibly thinking I was going to use this attack on him. The golems quickly came into my view and I thrust my fists forward almost by reflex.

"SEE-YAH!" I bellowed, smashing my fists into the trio. There was a ripple of grey energy tinted with red before the three golems exploded violently, chunks of bronze flying everywhere. Smoke covered my vision for a moment but I simply walked forward and ignored the heaviness in my arms. Coming out of the smoke, I spotted Guiche backed up against the wall, obviously frightened by what had happened.

"I'll ask only one time, Guiche de Gramont," I spoke, catching his attention. "Surrender now or I will be forced to execute bodily harm on you to win this duel."

That was all the prompting the boy needed, "I give up! I give up!" he cried out while waving his hands, actually dropping his rose in the process.

"Then I hope you learned something from this," I nodded and turned away to walk back towards Siesta and Louise. Both girls were just staring at me, but for Siesta it was straight up awe while for Louise it was pure shock. On one hand, having a cutie like Siesta looking upon me in awe did my ego wonders. Seeing Louise being unable to talk down on me for once was just as gratifying. Having stunned everyone else into silence was just sweet icing to an already awesome cake.

Now if only…

"That was incredible!"

"What an amazing commoner!"

"He can't be a commoner! He caused an earthquake with just his feet!"

"Is he a Square Class?"

"I don't care either way!"

The students broke out into quite excited chatter about my abilities. Suddenly they didn't seem to mind that Guiche had lost to me, seeing as they weren't prepared to believe that someone like me could be a commoner in the first place. I guess instead of seeing Guiche as inferior, they saw my abilities as just that good. Still, I had some explaining to do since the cheers had snapped Louise out of her stupor, allowing her to look at me with a pretty pout while tapping her foot with her fists held firmly on her hips. It didn't fool me though. I had seen how upset she was when she first came, and not in a sense that she was mad at me.

Classical tsundere personality. Oh joy.

"You have some explaining to do, Matthew," she frowned at me.

"Then let's find a quiet place and I will do so," I nodded.

* * *

><p>It didn't take Louise and I very long to find a spot. The tables set up outside for students and their Familiars were still there, thankfully less full than before. We quickly took seats at a table that was on the outer edges, allowing us some privacy. Of course, Siesta was quick to serve us up some tea but she remained hanging around afterwards, finding an excuse to putter around. Her best one was to spruce up the other tables but she never went out of earshot even though she had cleaned the tables enough times to satisfy even the most determined of cleaners.<p>

I myself had removed my armour and replaced all of the Medals into the book, but it had been a slight fight to get it back from Siesta since she tried to insist that she was happy to keep it safe while Louise and I talked. It almost sparked off another impressive battle which I wasn't too sure I would win when it came to the maid.

"Just how did you do that?" Louise asked calmly, but I could tell that she was bursting with curiosity from the way she refused to stop staring at me even though she tried dropping sugar cubes into her tea and missed completely.

"What I used was my O-Driver and my Core Medals," I explained, gesturing to the items I had placed on the table for her viewing pleasure. Taking the book in question, I opened it to reveal my complete collection of Core Medals.

"And just where did they come from? How did they help you beat Guiche?" Louise pressed, not liking my less than informative answer.

'_They were just props I was using for a costume but when I got pulled here they became weapons of destruction which I have no idea why they do what they do,_' I thought ruefully. The truth may have worked in about any other situation, but I had a feeling that Louise wouldn't accept it. I was in a place where magic existed and was used everyday. Thus, the history of the Core Medals in the Kamen Rider OOO series may be a lot more plausible than the answer I had. Deciding to simply feed the curiosity that was ready to burst in both noble and maid, I made my answer.

"Well, 800 years ago back in my own country, there was this king," I explained. "Unlike most kings who were more or less accepted by their people or even loved, this king wasn't content with his kingdom and wanted to rule the world."

"He wanted to take over the world?-!" Siesta gasped, forgetting her eavesdropping position and butting right into the conversation. Thankfully, Louise was too shocked by the same proclamation to comment.

"Yes, but he knew he couldn't do it with the soldiers he had in his employ. He needed a secret weapon which no one would beat," I continued. "To that end, he had all of his royal alchemists work night and day on any kind of weapon that they could use to achieve that goal."

"Did they do it?" asked Louise.

"They reached the first step when they created these," I explained taking one of the Cell Medals out of the book and showing it to her. "It's called a Cell Medal. With these, they could create golems which were fuelled by desire and destroying them only made more Cell Medals to make more golems. Thankfully, the process of making these golems was difficult and not very cost-effective so the alchemists had to keep working."

Replacing the Cell Medal, I randomly picked out a few of the Core Medals, "In an effort to make the Medals more powerful, they infused them with the essence of animals. Each alchemist preferred a different kind of animal to use, which is why there are different sets. The results were the Core Medals. Using these, the alchemists not only created their products, but went further than that and created actual homunculi."

"No!" Louise gasped in shock. Good, apparently she knew what a homunculus was.

"Yes. With the Core Medals, these creatures proved extremely powerful…when they would use the power."

"Why wouldn't they?" asked Siesta.

"Because these homunculi would simply exist. They didn't want to fight, didn't want to eat. Basically, they didn't want to do anything at all. They simply sat there and existed," I answered. "Back then, those creatures had ten Core Medals each. Notice how I only have nine of each?" I presented the pages of the book again to show the girls the proof. Seeing their nods, I sat the book down and continued. "Well, in an effort to try to turn the homunculi to his cause, the king ordered one of each Core Medal destroyed."

"Did it work?" asked Louise, her attention trained firmly on me. I wasn't sure if she was taking me seriously. Was she interested in the magical theory behind the Core Medals, or was she just drawn into the tale? I wasn't sure which, but I decided to simply keep telling the story anyway.

"Well, it made those homunculi more animated," I sighed. That was an understatement if there ever was one. "The problem was that with the tenth Medal in their sets missing, they were filled with a void in themselves and so went on the rampage in an effort to try and fill it. Nothing that anyone tried was able to stop them. Swords, sorcery, nothing worked. Eventually they were named the Greeed by the people since everything they did was geared towards satisfying their own desires."

"What happened next?" asked Siesta, utterly fascinated.

"The king responsible for the Greeed had his alchemists create the O-Driver," I replied, lifting the item in question. "It can use the Core Medals to give the wearer weapons and abilities needed to fight the Greeed. With it, that king managed to defeat all of the Greeed and drastically reduce their power by taking more of their Core Medals away. However, that's when he got greedy."

"What do you mean?" asked the pinkette.

"Remember that the king had wanted to rule the world," I said to the shorter girl. "Seeing just how powerful the Greeed were, that king thought that by scanning all of the Core Medals at once, he would become a god. He tried, but all of the power became too much for him and it turned him to stone. All of the Core Medals as well as the Greeed were sealed inside of him as a stone coffin." I chuckled. "It's funny. He saved the world from the Greeed, but only so he could take it for himself."

"But…" Louise frowned, finally taking a sip of her tea. She grimaced when she didn't taste any sugar in it and quickly went to remedy the situation. "But if the Core Medals were sealed away, how did you get them?"

"Found them at a sale in a shop," I lied gracefully. Well…it wasn't a total lie. I did buy them from people from a different part of the world on a website that could be considered a shop itself. "I thought they were cool and bought them. When I decided to see if they had any history to them, I discovered the story and decided to try it out." That was another incomplete lie. I knew the story of the Medals had decided to try using the Medals last night simply because I thought it would be fun. "It kind of surprised me when I found out it was true."

"We certainly were surprised," Louise muttered, not trying to be silent. She then asked a question which no doubt had been on her mind since she saw me use the Medals. "Then are you capable of using magic?"

"Nope," I denied, shaking my head. Siesta seemed to immediately perk up at my frank admission. My admitting to being unable to use magic was probably good news to her since it truly meant that a commoner had indeed stood up to a noble and won. "We don't have magic these days where I come from. In fact, most people think it's just part of children's tales or makes for a good idea in stories or plays."

"But if you don't have magic, how could you use the Medals?" asked Louise with a frown. "You need to have at least some magic to be able to use magical items!"

"As far as I know the Core Medals and Cell Medals have their own magic. They power themselves," I answered. "The Core Medals in turn power the O-Driver which creates my armour as OOO. I don't need to be able to use magic to be able to use it."

"Oh," Louise blinked. Like Siesta, she seemed to perk up at the idea that I wasn't able to use magic like a noble. I doubt it was for the same reason that the happy maid had liked the news. I wonder why. Louise took another sip of tea before she looked to me again. "One last question then."

"Shoot," I nodded.

"I notice that all of the Medals come in sets of three and that your armour is split into three segments," Louise spoke, pointing out an observation she made. "Since the colours come in sets of three, wouldn't it be better to use all three Medals of the same colour since their abilities would no doubt help each other?"

I blinked at Louise's question. She had noticed that right away, had she? The pinkette was observant, I had to give her that much, "Well, it's true that the abilities of a common set of Medals can give would be complimentary, you have to know that any opponent I fight I'd need to use certain abilities depending on the situation since a Full Combo might do me more harm than good," Seeing their questioning gazes, I elaborated. "When I use a Combo of three Medals which are the same colour, not only do I get the abilities of those three medals but I also get a huge boost in power along with more abilities. The strain from harbouring that kind of power would leave me exhausted if not unconscious."

Louise and Siesta paled at the answer I gave. I could see the dots being connected already. They saw how powerful I had been with just a regular combination of Medals and then with two Medals of the same colour. Knowing that by using a Full Combo would make me stronger, they were probably wondering just how strong I could get. I had to admit, I could probably get pretty strong if I was forced to. I just hope it didn't need to come to that.

* * *

><p><em>Siesta couldn't help but hum to herself as she took a night-time stroll through Vestri Court. Today had been an incredible day! She had actually seen a fellow commoner stand up to a noble and actually win! Well, he used a magical artefact to do it, but he still won! It had flooded her with confidence to see that even a commoner like her could actually stand up and defend themselves from anybody. All of the other servants were talking about it and the chef had crowed in joy before bringing out several bottles of stolen wine to celebrate the appearance of 'the sword of the people'. The nobles were a little nervous too since everyone had felt the tremors which Matthew had caused just by stomping his feet. It made Siesta truly wonder what other kinds of amazing abilities he had at his disposal.<em>

_The happy maid was taking her night-time stroll since she was still too excited from the events of the day to sleep properly so she had decided to try and calm down with some cool night air. That had simply taken her to Vestri Court where she reminisced what she had seen during the day. She was still smiling about it!_

"_Ooooh! Matthew, you were incredible!" Siesta giggled to herself as she paced the area where the duel had taken place. At this rate, she'd never get to-_

_*JINGLE*_

_Hearing the noise of metal jingling against stone, Siesta looked down at where the noise had come from. Observing the ground, she saw a silver coin which had rolled to a stop on the stone walkway which decorated the courtyard. Siesta came to the conclusion that she must gave kicked it with her boots as she was walking and it rolled onto the path. Walking over, she picked the coin up since it was considered good luck to find spare change like that. Examining the coin though, she found that it wasn't a piece of silver like she had thought, but a Medal marked with an X on one side, and a strange bird on the other._

"_Oh," Siesta grimaced, eyeing the piece of metal. "I must have dropped it when I was trying to get the Medals Matthew needed to change. I hope he isn't too upset with me."_

_Grimacing, Siesta decided to return the Medal immediately. Maybe if she was quiet, she'd be able to slip the Medal into his book before anyone noticed and Matthew wouldn't get upset with her for being so clumsy. She turned quickly and began to jog back towards the entrance to the castle proper with her destination in mind. As she ran though, she had forgotten that dew had already set onto the grass and made it wet. Her third step towards the castle caused the wet grass to give way beneath her and send her sprawling with a yelp before she landed on her back with a soft thud. The coin in her hand was sent into the air, having escaped from her grip in the crash._

"_Ouchie," Siesta groaned, more embarrassed than hurt._

_Blinking, Siesta looked around to see where the coin had gone, hoping that she hadn't lost it again. Above her, the Medal reached the apex of its flight above her and started coming back down again. As it fell closer and closer towards the maid, it flashed slightly as if caught in the moonlight despite clouds covering the moons above Tristain at the moment. Siesta was still getting up when on top of her head, a metal circle appeared with a slot in it which would normally appear on a vending machine back in Matthew's world. Siesta of course didn't seem to notice this, but the Medal seemed to gravitate towards the spot on her head and in a move that seemed to defy laws of probability, slipped into the slot before closing the hole behind it._

_Siesta stiffened as if ice water had been poured down her back while her eyes clouded over. On her back, a black void with red on the edges appeared before something grabbed the edges and began to crawl its way out. The creature landed with a soft thud on the grass while the void which spawned it closed up. Dazedly, Siesta turned to see what had happened as her mind dimly registered something had appeared._

_The creature itself looked like a shambling grey corpse that was wrapped up sloppily with aged white bandages. It had a basic human shape, but that was the only human thing it had. Placed on points of its body were red discs that seemed to serve no purpose beyond decoration. Its eyes were sunken in spots composed of several slits that seemed to work despite how dysfunctional they seemed. Still, Siesta couldn't feel afraid of the creature since she seemed so detached from everything else at the moment._

"_I will grant your desire," the creature rumbled before it began shambling away, vanishing around a corner._

_It would be several minutes before Siesta would snap out of her stupor, thinking that she had suffered a bonk to the head which made her dream._

* * *

><p>In the days since my little duel with Guiche, rumours about the event spread like wildfire. Everyone had heard what I had done as OOO and the suit seemed to mystify everyone. No one had heard about the kinds of things that I had done as a Kamen Rider and certainly no one had ever heard about the Core Medals before. Everyone seemed to have an opinion on just how I had been capable of using such power and beating Guiche with it. Some of the students thought that I was a noble from another country who just had the bad luck to be summoned by Louise, others thought that I was part elf to have such strange and weird powers. Apparently elves existed along with all of the other magical creatures in the world I had ended up in and were downright terrifying if the students who believed that rumour who shied away from me were any indication. The servants seemed to have heard the story straight from Siesta though and knew that I was in truth someone who had lucked onto an incredibly powerful magical artefact. Rather than scorn me for using it though, they seemed to think it was downright incredible that a normal guy like me could use anything magical.<p>

It sure put me in the good graces of the chef. He couldn't seem to get enough of cooking me food, the same kind which he made for the nobles. Score!

Still, it at least served to get Louise to treat me better, although if it was because she respected me or was afraid of me I really couldn't say for the time being. She stopped trying to force me to get her clothes together or do her laundry for her, but she didn't seem to look at me any differently. If anything, she seemed to simply tolerate my existence. She didn't treat me like she would a commoner, but she didn't accept me like she would a noble either. I simply existed in neutral space. In itself, that was fine but it made things a little awkward between us. Maybe knowing you tried to subjugate a guy who had the power to create earthquakes among other things makes one more leery of their actions?

Still, she did make me follow her to class since she didn't want me to 'cause anymore trouble' as she put it. It was why that for such a beautiful day, I was trapped inside her class on studying earth magic.

The teacher was a somewhat older woman who wore what I would have considered stereotypical 'witch' attire. She wore a simple dress with a cloak over it held with a simple tie. Over her white hair which was tied in a bun, she wore a witch's brimmed hat. Her name was Professor Chevreuse, but it wouldn't have surprised me if she had a relative named Minerva McGonnogal somewhere out there in the world.

Louise had forced me to sit next to her, actually allowing me to sit on a chair next to her. I had an inkling that if I was still considered by her to be a commoner with absolutely no skills then she would have made me sit on the floor. Some of the students may have given me grief, but with half of them convinced I was a noble from a far-off land they seemed to let it go for the time being. Of course, Louise had reminded me repeatedly not to bother her.

The class was…actually educational. It allowed me a better insight into just how magic in Louise's world worked. The Professor explained that magic came in four elemental types: earth, fire, air, and water. There was also a fifth element called void, but it had been lost for some time so no one knew how to use it. All mages could be classified into one of the four elements and were further divided into what class they were. Mages when they cast spells could combine elements to make their spells stronger or to make new effects by mixing different elements. They were categorized as Dot Class who could only use one element, Line Class who could use two, Triangle Class who had three, and the best was Square Class who could use four. The more you could use, the more powerful you were.

"Huh," I blinked, fascinated by the teacher's explanation. "Now this is a school I like."

"Why are you even paying attention?" asked Louise silently with a frown. "You can't even do magic without your coins!"

"Yeah, but I can control the elements with them," I grinned back. "Maybe if I learn your style of magic, I can make my attacks stronger or more effective when I use them?"

Louise blinked, and then actually paled. I chuckled slightly and turned my attention to the rest of the class to see what they were doing. Most of the students seemed to be like Louise and paying attention to the lesson. However, I noticed that Tabitha was still reading her books rather than listening to the teacher. Kirche on the other hand was gazing in my direction with a saucy look in her eyes as she played with the edge of her blouse. When she noticed that I was looking at her, she smiled seductively and gave a small wave. I couldn't help but wave back, which made her smile grow.

"Stop staring like a fool!" Louise hissed, grabbing my ear. I almost yelped in pain, but managed to tear my eyes away from Kirche and back to the front of the classroom.

"Is there a problem Ms. Valliere?" Prof. Chevreuse spoke up, eyeing us both pointedly for our interruption.

"Uh…" Louise gulped, letting me go. "No ma'am."

"Good. Then you wouldn't mind giving us a demonstration," the teacher nodded, pointing at three sizable rocks she had on a nearby table. "Please transmute these to glass if you would."

As Louise stood up to head to the front of the class, Kirche stood up and began waving her arm to get the teacher's attention, "Uh, Prof. Chevreuse! You really shouldn't make Louise do this! She's-!"

"If I hear anyone call her a 'zero' again I will stuff their mouths with clay," the aged woman replied sharply, holding her wand threateningly. "This is hardly a difficult spell so even if Ms. Valliere has difficulty in casting I really doubt she would face a challenge in this." She then turned to see Louise standing at her seat. "If you please then Ms. Valliere?"

Louise nodded and walked to the front of the classroom and up to the rocks. She took her out her wand and pointed it at the rocks. I watched as magic began to glow from her wand as she put it through the motions, "_Ansuz Kau Isaz Fhwaz…_"

I watched the events to see just how more magic of Louise's classmates worked. However I did notice that some of them were starting to hide behind their desks. At first it confused me as to why they were doing that, but then it came back to him during his last conversation with Kirche.

'_Didn't she say Louise causes explosions?_' I wondered to myself.

"Pst!" I blinked and turned away from Louise attempting to make her spell and saw Kirche using the line of desks I was sitting at as a shield. Behind her was Tabitha, still reading her book as she followed her friend. "Does that suit of yours have a shield or something? A big one?"

"Um," I blinked. Well, I had never seen it in use before but I was pretty sure that the Kame Medal allowed me to wield a shield as my weapon. "Yes."

"Could you use it?" she asked with sparkling eyes. "Pretty please?"

"Sticky," Tabitha murmured.

"Oh, something that can keep you grounded would be helpful too!" Kirche nodded, picking up on Tabitha's train of thought. How she was able to do that with just the one world the bluenette uttered was beyond me at the moment. They must have been close friends to be able to do that.

"Sounds a little extreme," I blinked. Surely they were exaggerating, weren't they? "Louise's flubs can't be that bad."

"They are!" Kirche insisted, looking a little panicked. "Hurry!"

"Okay," I sighed. No point in alienating people when they didn't do anything. Besides, it may have been the narcissist part of me, but now that I had the power of OOO I couldn't help but show it off, especially when I didn't have to use it in some life or death situation. Grabbing the O-Driver and the book from my belt, I attached the belt to my waist before drawing three Medals from the book: one red, one orange, and one blue. Standing up and ignoring the glances of some of the less wary students, I slipped the Medals in and locked the buckle into place. Grabbing the O-Scanner, I swiped it across the three Medals.

"Henshin," I sighed.

"**TAKA!**"

"**KAME!**"

"**TAKO!**"

Medals spun around me as three Core Medals I had chosen appeared before me. Taka was at the top with an orange Medal depicting a sea turtle in the middle, and a blue Medal depicting an octopus on the bottom. The three images then fused together to form a crest which had the hawk squeezed into the top of the turtle's shell and flippers in the middle with the octopus crammed into the bottom. Said crest then flew back into my chest and formed my armour around me. The Taka Head was of course there, but now I was equipped with the Kame Arms and Tako Legs. My shoulders were covered with thick slightly curved armour which was split into hexagonal sections. Orange lines running down my arms connected with my forearms which was completely shielded by large portions of armour which looked like a tortoise shell split in half, completed by orange squares on the back of my hands. My legs were complete covered up to my thighs with bright blue armour which appeared to be similar to octopus tentacles lined side by side with the suction cups pointing out.

My transformation had caught the attention of the rest of the class, Prof. Chevreuse gaping at me openly. Kirche and Tabitha huddled behind me while Louise shot me a particularly dirty look while she was speaking the incantation. I shrugged helplessly at her as I raised my arms. An echoing cry rang through my ears as an orange pulse ran through my arms. A bubbling noise followed as a blue light ran down into my legs. I suddenly knew what to do as I pressed my forearms together and formed the Goura Guardna shield in front of me, creating an orange pulse around it called Goura Shielduo. The armour around my feet detached and turned into actual tentacle tips which adhered to the floor, keeping me there.

"That is incredible," one student whispered.

"I still say he's a foreign noble."

"I bet he's half-elf."

Louise's scowl turned even deeper as she kept up with her spell, "_Brrkann Prory Dera!_" Magic immediately jumped from her wand and enveloped the stones with a weird crackling noise. The many students stared at the display. Even Louise and Prof. Chevreuse were looking on in confusion. It was the span of a second, but it felt like it was longer. The power seemed to grow until…

***BOOM!***

The stones actually exploded! The explosion itself rocked the classroom and sent desks flying in all directions. The same was unfortunately said about the other people in the room, being sent flying in all directions and covered in soot and ash. I certainly felt the impact against my shields and if the Tako Legs hadn't been on me, I would have been knocked off of my feet. The force also blew out all of the windows and I was pretty sure that the whole school had heard the sounds of the stone going off like hand grenades. The smoke blinded me for a moment, but it quickly cleared thanks to the ventilation from the newly opened windows. Once I could see again, I could tell that perhaps Kirche hadn't been overreacting after all.

The room was completely trashed and nothing was left standing. Desks were overturned, chairs were knocked over or destroyed, and almost everyone in the room was lying on the ground, pretty much battered from the explosion. In fact, the only ones left standing were myself, and both Kirche and Tabitha who were hiding behind me.

"Wow," I blinked, eyeing the destruction. "You weren't kidding."

"This always happens," Kirche huffed, stepping out from behind me none the worse for wear. "No matter what spell Louise tries, it always turns out like this."

"Wow. That sucks," I sighed, having no real other reply than that.

A petite coughing caught out attention and I turned to see Louise sitting up from where she had been thrown back by the explosion that she had created. She seemed to be getting up much faster than the others, showing that she had gotten used to the explosions and was able to get up from them quicker. She was covered in soot and her clothes were torn but she seemed otherwise unhurt, same with everyone else.

"I guess…I just made a little mistake on this one," she tried to speak strongly, trying not to let the destruction of the classroom bother her. Instead, she just took out a handkerchief and started cleaning the dirt off of her face as if it were completely natural.

"You call this a 'little mistake'?-!" cried one of the students who were recovering from the blast.

"Get a grip on reality and just give up already!" shouted another. "Your success rate is always zero! That's why you're called Louise the Zero!"

"Your Familiar was probably summoned to protect us from you!"

I sighed and shook my head at the jeers. No wonder Louise cried instead of getting mad at me during our last fight. She had probably been dealing with insults ever since she had started school at the academy. I wanted to say something, but they were more or less in the right to feel a little cheesed off if they had to deal with being blown up several times during their schooling by the pinkette. What could be said in the face of something like that?

"Impressive."

I looked down to see Tabitha glancing up at me, but her gaze quickly returned from the book in her hands. I was pretty sure that she had been talking about my transformation, or maybe it was because of how I had managed to block the explosion from harming myself, her, and Kirche. Either way, the small girl was complimenting me and I actually felt good about it.

"Uh…thanks?"

* * *

><p><em>Percival von Descartes III wandered through the halls as he had some time before his next class. If nothing else, the Zero's ability to cause explosions with every spell she tried help make for a relaxing day since the classrooms she destroyed would have to be cleaned, cancelling the class which would come after. He honestly didn't know why the girl didn't just give up since she showed absolutely no aptitude for magic. Lots of noble ladies didn't bother with it and instead focused on other things like the marital arts. There was no shame in not being good in one thing while you excelled in the other. Of course, he wasn't going to complain if it got him out of class.<em>

_Walking through one of the decorated and ivy-covered paths which opened out into the courtyards, he idly wondered what to do with himself for the next hour or so. Perhaps he could go test his luck with some of the ladies in the castle? He had been voted one of the most handsome students in the school, second only to Guche de Gramont. With the blonde's loss to that magic knight or whatever he was, Percival thought he might have been able to take the top spot and thus get the most girls._

_Grinning to himself, he walked through the open grass as he considered what girl he wished to flirt with. While walking, he heard a soft thumping noise behind him. He didn't take any notice of it since he figured it was someone tripping. After another moment though, a tall shadow overtook him. Now curious, he turned around to see what it was…_

…_and found himself face to face with a walking corpse._

"_AA-UMPH!" Percival began to scream, only to be cut off by the ghoul covering his mouth with one hand. The noble tried to fight and get the thing to stop touching him, but its grip was like iron. Still he struggled in fear for his life. The creature didn't seem bothered as it raised its remaining hand and produced what looked like a large brown feather. Taking the item in question, it fastened the feather to Percival's cloak. Once it was on, the monster let him go before shambling away like it had lost interest._

_Percival just stood there, staring into space as the monster made itself scarce. He didn't yell, didn't cry out, didn't do anything to alert the guards, warn his fellow students, or even bring it to the attention of the teachers. He just stood there as magic not his own flooded into his body from the feather. It enveloped him and entered his mind, overpowering the natural thought processes until only one name would be known, one voice would be heard, one face would be seen. Nothing else mattered, nothing else was more important. This person, this vision of beauty which had been granted to him, he would find her and make her his wife._

"_Siesta…"_

* * *

><p>"Oooooh! We're going to be late for lunch because you didn't work fast enough to clean the classroom!"<p>

Louise and I were heading towards the dining hall so we could get some lunch before the afternoon classes could begin. After the explosion she caused in her classroom, she was forced to clean it up as punishment. Naturally, this was one of the times that she started acting like the master she saw herself as and ordered me to help her do it. Having no other course and figuring she had been given enough crap because of her goof up, I relented and helped her out. Unfortunately, it took us a while but I personally didn't see it as my fault. Louise on the other hand…

"Hey, I worked just fine," I scowled at the pinkette. "It's not my fault you had to take a break every five minutes!"

"As a noble such work is beneath me!" Louise retorted. "It's a servant's job, not mine!"

"Then stop making explosions and maybe the school will stop making you do such jobs," I sighed. "Ever consider that?"

"I'm trying!" Louise snapped, glaring at me. "I know I did the spell right, but something just happened and made those stupid rocks explode!"

"I hear that happens with every spell you do," I shot.

"Oh shut up!" the pinkette growled.

"Ah! Ms. Valliere!" The sudden cry tore us from our impending argument, making us turn to see who had spoken. Approaching us from the direction we were heading was the bald man I remembered seeing when I was first summoned by Louise. He was in his usual uniform and had a notebook under his arm. He was approaching quickly and seemed eager for something, although I wasn't really too sure what.

"Oh, Professor Colbert," Louise greeted respectfully.

"I was hoping to catch up with you," the educator smiled. "I was hoping that you would allow me to see your Familiar's runes again. I had been wondering about them since the summoning ritual and after all of yesterday's excitement it made me want to look for an answer immediately."

"You mean these?" I asked, holding up the markings on my hand. In all honesty, I had forgotten about them ever since they were branded on me.

"Yes, yes," Colbert nodded before he whipped out his notebook and a writing utensil before he started copying the rune markings onto paper. "I just have a feeling that Ms. Valliere had summoned something special, and after yesterday's antics I really feel that I'm right." Completing his quick sketch of the markings, he set his notebook away. "I'll be sure to let you know when I decipher these markings. Feel free to look forward to it." With a friendly wave, he was gone again and left us alone.

"Nice guy," I commented.

"I suppose," Louise shrugged. "Now let's get going before lunch ends!"

"Right, right."

* * *

><p><em>Guiche smiled as he waited for Montmorency to arrive with the lunch she decided to cook for him. If anything else, this was the one reason why he was happy to have been defeated by Louise's familiar. Montorency had decided that losing a duel in such a spectacular manner was punishment enough for his little innocent fling with the shy and demure Katie. So now was a new beginning for them, with the irate girl keeping a firm eye on him so to keep him from straying again.<em>

"_Honestly," the blonde fop sighed dramatically, once again catching the attention of some girls who were passing by. "A mere dalliance doesn't need to bring such hostility. Montmorency's beauty is like the sun to me. Ever radiant and-" he then spotted a female student talking with her friends at the far end of the courtyard. "Oh, who is that delicate flower?"_

"_Unworthy of you."_

"_Ah! Montmor-!" Guiche blinked, reacting out of sheer instinct of being punished and not noticing that the voice that had responded to him was in fact, a male one. Turning to see who had addressed him, he stopped to gape when he saw not his blonde sometimes-girlfriend, but a bandaged corpse-thing._

_Guiche would have screamed, possibly in a shrill version which would no doubt have him mistaken as a girl, but the creature acted quickly and grabbed him by the throat. His airflow cut off, Guiche could only watch in terror as it produced…a brown feather?_

"_You will soon know the love of your life," the shambling corpse spoke before sticking the feather to Guiche's cloak._

_Task complete, the creature shambled away and Guiche just sat there, completely still. The feather quickly worked its magic as its power brought a picture into his mind. Instantly, Guiche was on his feet, his world enveloped in sparkles as he could already picture the vision of loveliness in his arms. That woman, no, goddess! She must have been a goddess since no mortal woman could hold such beauty! He could not stand by and leave her unprotected in a world of brutes! He must go and find her!_

"_I am coming my love!" Guiche shouted as he dashed for the closest entrance to the school he could find._

* * *

><p>As it turned out, we really weren't late for lunch after all. We were really only late enough to compare to students who had stayed behind in class to ask their teachers a few questions about the lessons. Why Louise was freaking about being late for lunch I would never know. Maybe she was just someone who had the compulsion to be on time for all appointments or her upbringing as a noble instilled that kind of punctuality in her? Maybe the best meals were taken up fast?<p>

Anyway, it wasn't any of my business I suppose.

Louise wouldn't let me eat at the table with her, that noble pride of hers wouldn't allow it. I guess sitting in class wasn't as strict as sitting with other nobles with their noon hour meals. Frankly, I didn't see much of a difference but then again I was raised in a country where there wasn't any monarchy directly running everything and everyone was considered an equal. I wasn't really able to eat anything either, a silent punishment for taking sides with Kirche and Tabitha during the classroom explosion I suppose. Louise hadn't said anything in that regard, but I could just tell that she was cheesed at me about that.

Well that was just tough luck for her. I wasn't going to alienate two possible new friends simply because she wanted to keep her pride at having a Familiar who was one hundred percent obedient to her like all of the other students did. As it stands, my performance probably made Kirche and Tabitha a bit more inclined to talk to me as a person rather than just a simple Familiar. If I was wrong, I'd grovel at Louise's feet for forgiveness since I would have to admit that I was in the wrong.

So with nothing to eat until I could go see the school chef or Siesta, I amused myself by polishing the Core Medals in my collection with a handkerchief I managed to lift from Louise's room while leaning on the edge of the table as I sat on the floor. It had occurred to me the previous night that if the Medals were covered in dirt while inside the O-Driver, they might not work properly. So, I decided to get in the habit of polishing the Core Medals whenever I got the chance. Weapons that weren't kept in top condition would end up breaking on your after all.

"Oh hello there Matthew."

I glanced up from where I was polishing the Condor Medal and was immediately greeted with the sight of Kiche smiling down from where se was standing. As expected, Tabitha was with her and still reading a book.

"Hello Kirche, hello Tabitha," I greeted both girls. Kirche's smile grew wider at the familiar greeting while Tabitha merely nodded once, her eyes still not rising from the book she was immersed in.

"I was hoping to catch you during lunch," the busty redhead purred. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for how you heroically protected Tabitha and I from that awful explosion!"

"Grrrrrrr," Louise snarled, looking up from her meal. "Zerbst!"

Ignoring Louise's growing anger, Kirche continued to speak to me, "I simply must insist that I repay such a noble effort with the best I have to offer."

"You really don't have to," I smiled. It really seemed that despite being a higher class than me, Kirche and Tabitha really didn't seem to let that line divide them from people they found to be interesting. That made me feel pretty good about hanging around the school. Chances were that not everyone was going to be some spoiled rich kid who looked down on everyone else who wasn't lucky enough to be born into money like they were.

"Oh, I insist," the redhead purred before she made her move.

***MOOSH!***

I suddenly found my head compressed inside what I could only call a slice of heaven. The softness and smooth texture would remain with me until the end of my days, I was sure of it. The warmth was just so gentle and comforting I was surprised that it hadn't made me become drowsy just from it surrounding me. Yes, this could only what awaited those who led good lives and were rewarded with at the end of their days.

My bronze booby heaven.

Wait…boobs?

As common sense made his comeback against the chaotic forces of the libido, I realised that yes I had suddenly had my face compressed into Kirche's cleavage as the redhead babbled on about how heroic and dashing I was. Honestly, I hadn't seen the move coming, much less seen it in action. This girl must have been using magic to make her so quick or she was just naturally fast from having to dodge horny boys who no doubt wanted to be where I was at the moment.

"You were just so incredible!" Kirche squealed as she kept my head where it was with her surprisingly strong arms. "That armour is so mysterious and cool! Oh seeing it in action just ignited my fires of passion so brightly I could barely stand it! Watching you stand steadfast while protecting Tabitha and me just made me want to jump you then and there!"

I was still rather stunned by the move and hadn't yet made any kind of movement on my own part yet. Of course, the war going on in my mind was not helping the situation. As I sat there, my libido was telling me to just relax and revel in the sensation of being a man with a hot woman basking their attention on me. My common decency was all but shrieking at me to remove my face from Kirche's chest and go do something to repent for what I was allowing to happen. The rest of me really only had one simple question that was echoing through my mind.

'_Shouldn't I be breathing right now?_'

"Kirche! Stop molesting my Familiar this instant!"

Louise's outcry managed to snap Kirche out of her romantic babbling and turn her attention towards the shorter girl. Incidentally, this made her lose her tight grip on my head and allowed me to free my face from the pillow-like softness. Taking a deep breath, I attempted to get the spots out of my eyes which came from the lack of oxygen.

"Molesting him?" Kirche asked with a teasing smirk. "What you call molesting I call giving tender loving care for the man who so dashingly came to my aid today. After all, don't knights deserve at least some feminine care from the ladies they rescue?"

"It's unbecoming of a noble to touch a man like that it public!" Louise growled.

"Perhaps in Tristain," Kirche shrugged, obviously having no love for the country she was in. "But in Germania, love and affection are nothing to be ashamed of! You people here are just so restrained and prudish! Why, I'm surprised you all don't explode from all of the pent-up tension!"

"It's better than being perceived as some kind of easy woman!" Louise growled back.

Deciding not to get in between the heated argument rising with the two girls, I glanced over at Tabitha, "Does this happen often?"

A silent nodded from the bookworm was my reply.

"Thought so," I sighed. Shifting away from the arguing pair, I got back to work polishing my Medals. The job wasn't going to do itself after all.

* * *

><p><em>Siesta was taking her lunch break out in Vestri Court. Since she wasn't on duty for the main hall, she could finally eat at the proper time rather than wait for all of the other nobles to finish their meals first. She had felt drawn to the courtyard all day, finding any excuse in order to examine the area where she had witnessed a commoner defeat a noble. It had been a very inspiring event for her and she didn't want to ever lose the feeling.<em>

_Still, as much as she had been inspired by the outcome of the duel, the victor of the duel stuck out in her mind much more. Matthew had become quite the idol in the eyes of the young maid as well as many of her co-workers. Of course, for Siesta he was more than that. He was like a knight in shining armour, the kind which she had been told stories about as a child. He could use magic almost like a noble could, albeit in the form of his Medals. He was very nice and not at all like some of the nobles she had met in her life. He wasn't arrogant at all about the fact that he could use the magic of the Medals and so many others couldn't. He was perhaps giddy about it, but certainly not arrogant._

_The maid couldn't help but giggle as she recalled his mannerisms when she would see if he was okay. He seemed so shy then! Seeing him become that magical knight though…it made her face flush from the memory alone. She also recalled when he told her exactly how he could win his duel against Guiche. He was so confident…_

"_Siesta…"_

_Yes, she could hear him say her name so confidently._

"_Siesta…"_

_Wait, someone was saying her name._

_Blinking, her images of magic knights out of her mind, Siesta looked up from her meal to see who was addressing her. If it was one of the nobles then she was going to lose the rest of her lunch hour if they wanted her to do something. Looking to where the voice had come from Siesta blinked when she saw many of the male student body staring at her from a short distance away. At first she feared she had done something improper from the way that the boys were staring at her, but the fear died when she saw they were looking at her…adoringly? That couldn't be right. Siesta may have thought herself cute, but she knew she was quite plain when compared to the noble girls which attended the school. Why would the boys stare at her like she was beautiful when she was quite obviously a commoner?_

"_SIESTA!" the adoring boys cheered as they charged towards the confused maid with their arms outstretched._

* * *

><p>"AHHHHHHHHHH!"<p>

The scream was quite audible even above the chatter of the dining hall from the people still eating in it. Lousie and Kirche immediately forgot their argument to look in the direction of the noise. I had almost dropped the Sasori Medal I had been working on and Tabitha even looked up from her book. Confused, the four of us quickly got ourselves onto our feet and headed for the door with the rest of the students in the hall following us. Emptying out into one of the many courtyards, we were met with a rather odd scene.

"SIESTA I LOVE YOU!"

"MARRY ME SIESTA!"

"PLEASE BEAR MY CHILDREN!"

What we witnessed in that moment would be forever burned into my memories. What I saw was Siesta, the cute yet unassuming maid I had befriended, being chased by a whole mob of boys from the school who were screaming out their love for her. Well, some of them were yelling out their love for her. Others were yelling out comments about her beauty, offering her their fortunes, and even commenting on how wonderful she'd look pregnant with their children.

"What the fuck is all this then?" I summarized quite correctly in my own opinion.

"Oh ho!" Kirche chuckled. "It seems I have finally found worthy competition! Who would have guessed it would come from a commoner?"

"Are those boys out of their minds?" Louise gaped openly. "There's no way a noble would throw away their pride like that just to chase one commoner maid!"

"Spell," Tabitha spoke up, for once not reading her book.

For once, I had caught on to what the quiet girl was talking about, "You think magic was involved?" her nod was my reply.

"Well, obviously she tried to use a love potion and it backfired," Louise sniffed, her supposed noble superiority rising to the forefront.

"Only you could botch up a potion this badly, Zero," Kirche sniped.

"Why you-!"

As we were still trying to make heads or tails of just what had caused such a weird event to happen, Siesta had noticed us in front of the doors into the courtyard. As such, she immediately started running towards us, "MATTHEW, HELP ME!" The frightened maid dashed like a bullet and quickly ran behind me before clutching the back of my shirt. She was actually shaking in fear as the group of young men charged towards us, still shouting out their love for Siesta.

Okay, enough was enough. Putting my thumb and forefinger to my lips, I let out a shrill whistle which didn't fail to catch the attention of everyone around us. It served to at least catch the attention of the adoring the boys who were following after Siesta in their lovesickness. Seeing that I had their attention, I opened my mouth to see if I could get to the bottom of the mystery. Before I could actually speak though, Siesta's fans started speaking for me.

"HAND OVER SIESTA!"

"UNHAND MY LOVE!"

"DO NOT DARE TAINT THE MOTHER OF MY CHILDREN WITH YOUR PRESENVE!"

Okay…didn't really need to hear that. Moving on. Among the group I had spotted Guiche, which of course didn't surprise me considering the impression I had of him thus far since meeting the fop. Unfortunately for him, his girlfriend Montmorency had also spotted him in the mass of hormonal boys and decided to give him a piece of her mind. Stomping straight up to the playboy, she snatched him by his ear and tugged him away from the group.

"Just what in The Founder's name has gotten into you Guiche?-!" she demanded hotly. "Didn't yesterday teach you anything?-!"

"Ah," Guiche moaned. "Forgive me Montmorency. But…but I am in love!"

"Love?-!" the curly blonde shrieked. "She's just a maid! A commoner!"

Wrong thing to say apparently. All of the boys began to snarl menacingly at Montmorency, making the girl flinch in response. Even Guiche was growling in anger at her, completely unrepentant of the fact that the girl he was glaring at was supposed to be his main squeeze. I myself was really beginning to get concerned about what was going on. These guys were definitely not acting right. I mean, I had heard of fanboys before and such but I never had seen the real thing before. Hell, all of the boys in question even had brown feathers attached to their cloaks like some kind of badge. What it represented I suppose I'd never find out.

"SIESTA IS A GODDESS ON EARTH!"

"SHE IS BEAUTY INCARNATE!"

"SHE WILL BE THE MOTHER OF MY CHILDREN!"

Okay, seriously, who kept saying that? I was about to smack that guy upside the head in hopes that it would put some common sense into his skull. That thought was secondary though. What was foremost on my mind was the fact that Siesta was beginning to whimper behind me, obviously afraid. By my best guess, it wasn't too unusual to have some nobles take advantage of their serving staff in more ways than in just their pay depending on their gender. No doubt Siesta had heard about those kinds of stories and likely not one of them had a happy ending for the maid in question either.

"THAT'S ENOUGH FROM ALL OF YOU!" my voice bellowed, once again snapping everyone's attention back to me. Seeing that no interruptions were coming, I decided to continue on with my little presentation. I looked over to the fanboys, "Okay you guys, enough is enough. You're scaring Siesta so back off before somebody gets hurt."

"But she's-!" cried one boy.

"I know I know, perfect mother material, incredibly hot, all that stuff," I muttered, rolling my eyes. I hope I didn't offend the little maid by saying that, but these guys were annoying me and giving a bad name to guys everywhere. "But the point is that it looks like you dorks were trying to rape her. So, forgive me but I think I'll be keeping an eye on her for now while the rest of you get control over your hormones again."

"You just want to keep Siesta for yourself!" one of the many fanboys shouted angrily.

"As cute as she is, now's not really the time to worry about who is going to date who," I sighed. It seemed that all of my research into the cultures of anime wasn't going to go to waste after all. These guys were acting just like the fanboys in various anime series did; absolutely no common sense no matter how much cold logic was thrown at them. "Right now, you guys are acting weird so back off now or I'll be forced to hurt you."

"Ooooh, he knows how to take charge," Kirche spoke huskily, fanning her face with her hand.

"Not now Zerbst!" Louise hissed.

"Unacceptable!"

The new voice was male, but that was all I had gotten before something quite literally dropped onto me from behind, planting me face-first into the ground. I was pretty sure part of my face impacted against the walkway, but none of my bones were broken. However, the same couldn't be said about the ringing in my ears when the screams began to sound off from the other students. The weight on my back shifted and I began to struggle with it, trying to figure out what it was. I didn't make too much progress before a cold arm that was as solid as rock but felt wrapped in something wrapped around my neck and hauled me to my feet. Whatever it was spun me around with its hand gripped on the front of my shirt. Once my eyesight settled, I couldn't help but gape at what I was looking at.

A goddamn Yummy!

It was only a White Yummy, but it was standing there as clear as day right in front of me. It was staring at me with its unblinking eyes while its other arm was holding up what looked like a brown feather with the tip pointed towards me.

"I will grant the girl's desire," it uttered emotionlessly.

As it brought the feather down on me, I reacted quickly and grabbed the arm before the feather could touch me. I had a feeling that it would be bad and that I might turn into a mindless drone like the rest of these fanboys. I shoved the arm away and elbowed the Yummy in the gut at the same time as I stomped on its foot, forcing it to release me. I spun around and kicked it in the chest, knocking it flat onto its back.

"Matthew, what is that thing!-?" Louise demanded.

"A Yummy," I frowned, eyeing the monster in disbelief. "Something akin to a golem which is born from people's desires." I glanced over at Siesta whom was cowering against the wall of the castle proper in order to get away from the kaijin. "Siesta! Did anyone approach you with a Cell Medal?"

"No!" the maid replied, shaking her head.

"Well did you see a Cell Medal besides with me recently?" I pressed, keeping an eye on the recovering Yummy. Someone had to have made this Yummy in the first place. They didn't spontaneously create themselves for no reason. No one could be that unlucky.

"I…I found one last night!" Siesta gasped, remembering something. "I picked it up, but then I slipped on some grass and I lost it. All I remember is a funny dream about a bandaged man who came out of my back…"

Well, that answered that question. I quickly dug into my pockets as the Yummy clambered back to its feet. Retrieving my O-Medal Holder, O-Driver, and the Medajalibur I prepared to take the fight to the Yummy. Strapping the Driver to my waist, I plucked out the three familiar Medals and slipped them into my Driver before tossing the O-Medal Book over to the girls, seeing it expertly caught by Tabitha who for once wasn't looking at her book and was holding her staff at the ready. Medals secured, I took the O-Scanner and swiped it across the Medals. "Henshin!"

"**TAKA!**"

"**TORA!**"

"**BATTA!**"

"**TA-TO-BA TATOBA TA-TO-BA!**"

The armour of OOO formed around me and transformed me into a Kamen Rider. When the armour was complete, I leaned down and picked up the Medajalibur from where I had dropped it onto the ground. However, the Yummy wasn't impressed as it glared at me quite openly. Quite suddenly cracks started ripping across its corpse-like flesh, making my heart sink as I realised what was happening. Red flames seeped out from said cracks as they grew wider until the shell of the Yummy cracked completely and shattered to reveal this monster's true form.

It was human-shaped, but that was where the similarity ended. The majority of its body was covered in feathers, the front being white plumage streaked with black. The rest of the feathers seemed like an alluring mix of brown and crimson. Completing its bird looks was the pair of red/brown wings stretching out from its back. Its hands and feet were scaled like a bird's and were tipped with sharp talons. Around its waist was a black belt decorated with chains while its chest held a gold disk near its collarbone, a common characteristic in all Yummies. Its face was pure red and looked like a human's, but was covered with what looked like a hood made out of a giant hawk's head, complete with a hooked beak and piercing amber eyes.

The sight of the new Yummy caused everyone to scream or gasp in shock and back away in fright (save for Tabitha). The girls were now firmly separated from the fanboys, but it didn't stop several of them from trying to edge their way over to Siesta with Guiche in the lead. I didn't bother with them and instead charged at the Yummy with my weapon raised. As I drew closer, the Yummy raised its arm to block the blow while I swung with all of the strength I could muster. The arm came up and the blade came down.

And with a loud crack….

…the blade broke…

…like cheap plastic.

…

You know, it never really dawned on me to check the Medajalibur to see if it had undergone the same changes as the O-Driver and the Core Medals.

"Crap," I cursed and then I let out a cry as the Hawk Yummy swung up its talon, slashing sparks off my chest as it sent me flying. I went tumbling and stopped at Louise's feet.

"Matthew, what happened?" Louise asked, referring to what had happened to my sword.

"Guess I need a new sword," I responded as I got back to my feet. "Watch out!" I shouted as the Yummy swooped towards us. I activated my Tora Claws and swung forward, this time catching the Hawk Yummy in midair and taking it down to the ground. I then raised my right arm to slash at it but it managed to roll out of the way of my attack and flip back to its feet. It spread its wings and then flapped them, firing its arrows at me like arrows. Sparks flew as the attack hit me and I was forced to my knees in pain.

"Siesta's desire…" the Hawk Yummy uttered and then it flew at Siesta. The maid shrieked as she turned to run but was caught by the Yummy's feet talons.

"Siesta!" I shouted as I stood up but then realised that I needed something to help me fly. The only Combo I knew which had flight capabilities was the full red Combo TaJaDol. Looking at my feet, I realised I had the next best thing. The green Batta symbol on my chest glowed and transferred energy to my feet which then morphed to take on the form of grasshopper legs. I bent my knees and hopped after the Hawk Yummy which had Siesta in its grasp. "Hey, birdbrain! Let her go!" I shouted, reaching my arms out to grasp the kaijin's leg and force it to release Siesta. Then something flew past me and I blinked when I saw that it was a blue dragon with Tabitha on it. Tabitha looked over her shoulder and gave me a nod that I returned.

Taking aim with her staff, Tabitha unleashed her magic and fired ice spikes at the Hawk Yummy's back. It squawked in pain and released Siesta who screamed as she started to drop but she landed safely on Sylphid's back. With the danger to Siesta gone, I focused my attention on the Hawk Yummy who because of its now frozen/pierced wings now started to plummet downwards.

It crashed violently on the ground as I landed not too far away from it. Sylphid landed right next to me. Since Tabitha now held my O-Medal Book, I asked her to hand me some Core Medals, "Tabitha, I need two Core Medals." Although I hadn't explained the Core Medals to her, Tabitha seemed to understand what I was talking about and opened the book, peering at the items. Seeing she was looking, I made my order. I had seen it work in the series, so I figured it would be worth a try. "I need the Eel and Rhino Medals. One's blue while the other's grey," but then I remembered that Tabitha may not know what those animals were. "Uh…"

Tabitha didn't say anything, but just nodded her head. She flipped through the book and quickly plucked a blue Medal and a grey Medal out of the book. Taking the items in question, she held them out for me to take. I blinked in surprise at how quickly she had claimed them, but I still stepped towards the Yummy with them. Removing the Hawk and Tiger Medals, I slipped my new Medals into their slots, locked the buckle into place and finally swiped the O-Scanner across it.

"**SAI!**"

"**UNAGI!**"

"**BATTA!**"

The three Medals appeared in front of me before forming together into a crest and fusing with my chest. My helmet and arms quickly transformed with the power of the new Medals. My helmet had become more cylindrical with grey plating covering the most of it, grey ridges running above my temples and even a horn decorated with a red stone on my forehead. Completing the look were my eyepieces which had turned ruby red. My arms were decorated with blue and had large fins on the shoulders which had white cords running down behind my arms and into the blue wristbands I wore. An interesting bit of decoration was the white lightning bolts running down my arms, completing my arm armour.

"Okay," I frowned as I grabbed the ends of my Unagi Whips. "Let's do this." With a sharp tug, I unsheathed the whips and brought them up to use. Strangely enough, I already had a pretty good idea how to use them even though I never picked up a whip in my life. I just chalked that insight up to the suit and filed it away for later while I approached the Yummy.

The Hawk Yummy snarled as it recovered itself and managed to get the worst of the ice off of its wings. Squawking, it flapped its wings and fired more of its feather arrows at me. I gripped my weapons and lashed out with my whips, striking the feathers out of the air as quickly as they were coming at me. I didn't stand stationary though. I kept approaching to try and strike the Yummy down. Seeing that the feathers weren't working, the Yummy instead charged at me to get in close before I could attack it with my Unagi Whips. The Yummy collided against me and pinned my arms, keeping me from using them against it.

Like that would stop me.

I reared back my head and smashed it into the face of the Hawk Yummy. The impact was hard and it no doubt hurt. Oddly enough, I didn't feel a thing but when the Yummy's grip slackened and it stumbled away, I assumed that it hurt a lot. The side of its head was glowing red and I could see Cell Medals falling out of a hole which it was trying to keep shut.

Deciding to capitalize on my opponent's stunned status, I leapt forward and kicked rapidly with my Batta Legs, sending it staggering backwards with each blow which caused more silver Cell Medals to spill out. I then followed up my assault with the Unagi Whips, striking the Yummy with electrified lashes. It staggered with each shocking blow it took, spilling out even more Cell Medals. Seeing it dazed and weakened, I decided to finish it off before something interrupted me like it did Eiji in the series.

I gripped my O-Scanner and scanned the Core Medals in my O-Driver.

"**SCANNING CHARGE!"**

I twirled my Unagi whips and lashed at the Hawk Yummy, wrapping its arms and wings together, preventing it from moving. With all of the whipping I had dealt it, I had tagged its wings several times so it definitely wouldn't be able to fly away from what I was going to do next. Hefting my arms, I hurled the Hawk Yummy into the air before my Batta Legs and Sai Head both became energized. Crouching slightly, I unleashed the pent up energy and leaped up directly at the ascending Yummy head first.

"SEE-YAH!"

***BOOM!***

I had collided with the Yummy head first, causing the monster to explode in a large fireball. I flipped over in the air and landed on the ground feet first. A heartbeat later, Cell Medals began to fall to the ground around me, littering the area with the pieces of metal. Around us, the mob of fanboys all collapsed, the feathers on their cloaks vanishing with the death of the Yummy.

"Maybe now they'll go back to normal," I muttered. Although in Guiche's case I wondered if anything would get him to change his ways. Still, seeing that the fanboys were at least looking healthy I decided to go and deal with other things. "Now where can I find-?"

"My hero!"

My face found itself in the midst of the bronze booby heaven once again. This time, I was able to breathe thanks to the space my helmet offered me and as such my libido was not able to take command like it did before.

"Kirche!" I managed to speak out. I struggled, trying to escape but there wasn't much I could grasp in front of me to get the amorous redhead away without unintentionally sending a message that I was enjoying what she was doing to me.

Well, at any other time I would have enjoyed it but not at the moment. I was still boggled by the fact there had been a Yummy here without the Greeed to create one. Just how was it possible? Of course, I never thought my toy O-Driver and Medals would become real either. Speaking of toys, I glanced towards my broken Medajalibur. Why hadn't it been turned into the real thing like my other stuff?

Aside from that, there was the issue of the Cell Medals that littered the ground. Just what was I supposed to do with them?

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, the chapter is done. For anyone who suspects it, I was inspired by the fic Hill of Swords. If you like the story thus far, great to hear but if you don't then I'm not forcing you to read it. Don't bother flaming me since I'll ignore it. If you have a genuine concern though, I'll try to address it.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Familiar of Zero or Kamen Rider OOO. I am only writing this for fun and not profit. So just sit back and relax so you can enjoy the free entertainment.

**Familiar of ZerOOO**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**C****HAPTER 3: The Sword, the Amorous Flame and the Princess**

It was now late in the day and I was finding myself inside the headmaster's office along with Kirche, Tabitha, and Louise. All four of us were standing in front of large ornate desk which belonged to the head of the school with the man himself behind it. He looked every bit the wizened old sorcerer that the stereotype would speak about. He had a long white beard and moustache along with long white hair. He was dressed in lone dark robes which would normally make him appear to look like a wizened old man that he was pretending to be.

He kind of ruined that image when we walked in on him reading some kind of magazine which had pretty girls in brief outfits posing seductively. He tried to hide it, but I'm pretty sure that at least a few of us managed to spot him with it.

After I destroyed the Hawk Yummy, (and escaped from Kirche's cleavage) I began scooping the Cell medals up into a pile to try and keep the accident which made the Hawk Yummy from happening again. Tabitha had dutifully retrieved several small pots which were meant to be decoration from inside the castle. They weren't too big so we ended up using three of them before we had gotten all of the Cell Medals collected and safe. Of course, that was when the guards and Prof. Colbert finally showed up to inspect the chaos which I'm sure they could hear from across the school. So we were escorted to the headmaster's office to explain ourselves.

So there we were, me without my suit with three pots of Cell Medals at our feet, and the headmaster in front of us. Prof. Colbert stood at one end of his desk, and this attractive lady with tied back green hair and glasses named Ms. Longueville who was apparently the headmaster's secretary stood at the other. Behind us likely outside the door were more guards who were understandably a little jumpy after a bird monster had apparently gotten inside of the academy and hypnotized a large portion of the boys into becoming love slaves for Siesta.

"Well then," the old man spoke up. "I hope there's an explanation for all of this chaos?"

"Oh you should have seen it!" Kirche squealed, clasping her hands under her chin. "That nasty bird creature put some kind of enchantment on all of those boys to chase after one of the maids like devoted slaves! When Darling tried to stop them, that beast came down and tried to eliminate him! But he was obviously too strong for the beast and quickly and efficiently eliminated it!" she fanned herself after the speech, looking a little flushed. "I don't believe I've been this hot before."

Everyone couldn't help but blink at the passionate and somewhat brief explanation. It didn't explain much of anything beyond a basic course of events. Of course, I don't think the headmaster minded too much since he was taking a guilty peek at Kirche's chest. At first I was sorely tempted to throw a Cell Medal at him just to see what would happen. However, his secretary seemed to have noticed it first and coughed in her throat before sending a pointed glare at her employer.

"H-huh?" the old man blinked, but then quickly recovered himself. "Ah, Miss Zerbst, we're going to need a bit more details than that."

"What more details could you possibly need?" asked the redhead with a pout.

"Perhaps information concerning just what that creature was?" asked Colbert hopefully. "Or how upon destroying it you came into that collection of silver coins?"

I glanced over at my three friends and saw them glance over at me. I knew it was coming, but I still felt a little betrayed when they left me to explain what had happened and what the creature I killed was. Heaving a sigh while massaging the bridge of my nose, I decided to just bite the bullet and explain myself.

"It was called a Yummy," I explained, drawing all attention in the room to me.

"And what is a 'Yummy?'" the old man pressed, obviously expecting answers.

"Basically? A golem made out of these," I replied, scooping up a handful of Cell Medals. "They're powered by human desire. All I would have to do to make one is first create an insertion slot in a person," I trailed off and decided a possible visual example was needed, plus it would possibly answer the question forming in my head about how Siesta made the Hawk Yummy when I thought only a Greeed could do it. Taking a Mantis Cell Medal out of the handful I had, I raised it up to Kirche's forehead since she was taking pains to stand next to me at all times. To my half-shock, a Medal Insert Slot appeared in the middle of her forehead.

"My word!" the old man gasped.

"What is that?" Ms. Longueville gaped.

"Intriguing," Prof. Colbert observed.

"What?" asked Kirche, looking around at the obvious interest in her which wasn't connected to her good looks, "Do I have something on my face?"

"Only you would miss a hole appearing in your head!" Louise snapped. "I guess it matches the one already there I suppose."

Before the argument could start, I cut it off by continuing the explanation despite how surprised I was, "If I were to drop a Cell Medal into that slot, a White Yummy would spawn from Kirche and go out to devour her desire to grow stronger. When it ate enough, it would shed its skin to take its true form. What it looks like depends on the animal marking on the Cell Medal I use to create the Yummy." I took the Medal away, making the slot in Kirche's head vanish. "The more desire the Yummy feeds on, the more Cell Medals are formed inside of its body and the stronger it gets."

The headmaster and Ms. Longueville blinked in shock, obviously unsure what to say next. Obviously they hadn't had to deal with anything like a Yummy before in the history of their lives. Colbert on the other hand seemed to be filling with questions as he stared in rapt attention at the three pots of Cell Medals at our feet. "Fascinating!" He looked up to me with almost child-like glee, "Tell us, just how do these creatures feast on desire? Don't leave anything out!"

"Well, since you asked," I shrugged. I was always game to talk about my knowledge on Kamen Rider OOO. "Something you have to know is that there are different types based off different kinds of animals so their habits vary. Insect-Types go out and eat whatever the person they came from desired to get stronger. Cat-Types possess the one they came from and force them to indulge in their desire until they are overcome by it. Fish-Types make a person's desire stronger, causing them to obsess over it and it actually creates multiple Yummies from a single host. Beast-Types are made fully developed and usually work to satisfy the desire of the person they come from. Bird-Types like the one from today stake out a piece of territory to build a nest and give their host what they desire. The last kind I know are the Dinosaur-Types that are made from desires connected to objects, and they destroy similar desires to get stronger."

"Fascinating," Colbert nodded, scribbling down notes furiously despite how pale Ms. Lougueville and Headmaster Osmand turned.

"Wait," Louise frowned. "If that…Yummy was the kind to make a nest somewhere, where is it?"

"It'll turn up," Kirche shrugged.

* * *

><p><em>Siesta sighed, feeling absolutely awful about what had happened that day. Because she goofed up, she had unleashed a monster onto the campus that hypnotized a lot of the boys. Matthew said it wasn't her fault, but the monster was still hypnotizing people for her. She would be lucky if she wouldn't get fired for what she did.<em>

_Entering the maids quarters of the castle, she just wanted to get some rest since the day was more or less shot. Maybe she should just take a nap and…_

"_WHERE DID THIS GIANT NEST COME FROM?-!"_

* * *

><p>Returning to our room, I sighed as Louise and I put down the two pots of Cell Medals. Prof. Colbert had taken the liberty of taking the third one to his lab for some research. I was worried about what might happen but he swore that he would not be foolish enough to accidentally create any Yummies. I sure hoped so since he seemed to be something akin to the proverbial absent-minded professor. Anyway, my mind was more focused on the battle with the Hawk Yummy that afternoon. It sort of made it obvious that I was going to need a partner to help pass the Medals to me when I needed them. Eiji had Ankh and so far I've had Tabitha and Siesta toss me the Core Medals I needed whenever I needed to switch between Combos.<p>

Looking at Louise, I decided that I should at least teach her how to be my 'Medal Manager'. I was her Familiar, so it just made sense since she would be the one to be around me more than the others. Sighing I pulled out my Medal Book and placed it on the table where the two of us were currently sitting. "Huh?" Louise asked.

"I'm going to need someone to help me in battle," he said. "I was thinking it should be you since we'll likely be together most of the time. You can toss me the Core Medals I need and keep them safe at the same time while I fight." That was perfectly reasonable.

"So, you expect me to obey as you bark orders?" she asked threateningly. Great, noble pride comes in to turn a simple situation into a complicated mess.

"More like become my partner," I said, trying to stave off my migraine. "You were able to conclude that a combination of three Core Medals would be extremely powerful. I thought that you'd like the responsibility."

Louise looked down at the Medal Holder book and looked like she was thinking about my offer. She then spoke, "You're going to need a new sword."

Yeah, that's right. My previous one got broken in half when I tried to use it on the Yummy. Even if I was good enough to only fight with my Core Medals, a sword would be nice to have. "OK, we'll get me a new sword."

Louise nodded before she looked down at the Medal Holder before opening it. She took a moment to admire my collection of Core Medals before she bluntly asked, "How much are these worth?"

"What?" I blinked.

"Well, you have so many of them to spare," Louise shrugged. "If you want a new sword then we can sell a few of these to pay for it."

"Oh no! No way!" I frowned. "Didn't you hear the story I told about the Greeed? If one of these Medals gets into the wrong hands then it could end up creating those things again. They nearly ended the world and I am not in a hurry to see them try their luck here. The Medals stay with me, no negotiation."

Louise frowned and crossed her arms, "I highly doubt that these Greeed creatures could revive themselves with just one Core Medal. Creating golems is difficult and needs plenty of materials."

"That's where you're wrong," I retorted. "The Greeed **can** revive themselves with just one Core Medal. They can even possess people with them. Sorry Louise, but the Core Medals stay with me. If you still want to get me a sword, the money is going to have to come out of your pocket, not mine."

Louise scowled and her cheeks puffed in rage, which made her look incredibly cute I must say so. I just knew that she was going to lose her temper over my 'insolence' but strangely the explosion never came. Instead, she crossed her arms and looked away in what I could only call a 'I'm-Not-Sulking' sulking position, "Fine! Be grateful that I am willing to spend any gold at all on you!"

"Your generosity inspires me," I replied flatly.

* * *

><p>Louise said that we would be going out tomorrow. The 'Day of the Void' was akin to the weekend break back in my world. I agreed. We would need a whole day to find the perfect sword for me. As for the Medajalibur, I had buried the pieces in a sort of makeshift grave. It had been very precious to me even if it was just a toy. That was when Siesta found me and dragged towards the kitchen. She wanted to repay me for 'saving her chastity' earlier. Apparently, she had told the kitchen staff about what I did and they pretty much warmed up to me, offering me food to eat, and also asking me about my 'artifacts'.<p>

The head cook, a big but jolly man, slapped me in the back. "That's right. Eat up, 'Our Sword'!"

"Our Sword?" I asked Siesta, referring to the nickname.

"Of course! You showed those arrogant nobles not to trounce on us commoners! Sure, you used magical artifacts but you're just like us and you still stood up to them! I even heard you saved our Siesta here from being kidnapped by a bird monster!"

I looked to Siesta who smiled at me again. I smiled back. It was nice to know that I was appreciated for what I did to help save Siesta from the Hawk Yummy. I had to admit that I was a little bit afraid of how people would take seeing me push the OOO armor to full throttle to kill something. Fighting Guiche was one thing since I didn't really intend to hurt him. Fighting a Yummy with the intent of killing it was something else.

I don't think I had ever eaten so well outside of a holiday nor had my arm been so numb from how tightly Siesta was gripping it. Well, at least she hadn't tried to hug me into her chest like Kirche had. I had a feeling she might be tempted though, if the way she was trembling in her seat and the sparkles in her eyes were any real indication.

Lots of the servants were asking about the 'magical artifacts' I had in my possession. So, I told the tale of my O-Driver and Core Medals, telling them of an ancient king who tried to rule the world with them but paid the price for his arrogance and greed. I told them about Kamen Rider OOO, the Greeed and also how I managed to acquire the artifacts. A few of them thought it was hilarious that such obviously magical artifacts ended up in a shop for anyone to find. Some asked if I may try to become like that king since I had incredible power in my hands, but I assured them that all I wanted to do was to use the power I had to help people out.

I definitely didn't want to end up like that corrupted king.

* * *

><p>I yawned deeply, walking down the halls with my hands in my pockets, feeling quite stuffed. I hadn't eaten so heartedly since last Thanksgiving and I certainly remembered why such a feast was held only once a year back home. As I traveled through the halls of the girls' dorm, I turned a corner only to find a rather curious sight. Staring at me and taking up a good portion of the hallway was a familiar red salamander which served as Kirche's Familiar. The large reptile blinked as it noticed me, and then charged at me quite rapidly before literally lunging at me and knocked me to the ground. "He-hey!" I cried before I felt Flame grab the back of my shirt and begin tugging me away. "Hey, lemme go!"<p>

I was dragged down the hall and then through an open door. Everything was dark at first, but then I noticed that the room was lit with only a few candles, setting a somewhat intimate atmosphere. Flame let me go and went to a corner in the room to watch the proceedings. I stood up to get my bearings, but then I saw her…and what a woman. There was Kirche in silky purple lingerie that left nothing to the imagination but made her intent obvious. It looked like a nightgown that reached to mid-thigh, but was open at the front to reveal her purple panties and was only tied enough to keep her breasts from bouncing free. Honestly, if Mezool was here Kirche would definitely make a good host for her Yummies.

"Good boy, Flame," said Kirche to her Familiar who released me. I stood up and dusted off my clothes and tried to keep my eyes above her neck level. That was a task harder than fighting that Yummy earlier in the week. "Welcome to my lovely room, Matthew MacGregor."

"Uh…thanks. So…why am I here?" I asked, but I knew why. I wasn't dumb. A girl didn't bring a boy to her room and dress as provocatively as Kirche had with the simple intent of having a simple chat or doing homework. Still, I hoped to distract her enough with talking to see just how seriously she was going to take this.

I quickly discovered she was taking the situation very seriously. Kirche immediately pressed herself against me, making sure I could feel every curve and bounce of her breasts. "Isn't it obvious? I'm in love~" she purred. She wrapped her arms behind my neck, lowering her voice to a seductive whisper. "My runic name is The Ardent. Like a torch, I am quick to ignite and burn brightly." She trembled against me as she brought her lips dangerously close to mine. "Seeing you protect us from that beast, it resonated so deeply inside of me. It instantly transformed me from Kirche The Ardent into Kirche The Passionate," she whispered, drawing closer to me.

God, she was hot, and my male hormones were reacting. Here was a hot, tanned and busty redhead literally throwing herself at me and even if it was only for one night I was sorely tempted to let her do what she wanted to do with me. My hands had grasped her hips almost automatically as she drew closer, anticipating the kiss she was aiming for. Part of me wondered why I was so hesitant. Honestly, when would I ever get this kind of chance again?

Of course I still tried to resist. She was coming on a little strong. "I'm….flattered…" I managed to get out. "But we've just met, Kirche."

"Then let's get to know each other," Kirche giggled as her nose touched mine, "Intimately."

And that was when I heard someone calling from Kirche's window, utterly ruining the moment between us. "Kirche! You weren't at our meeting place when you said you would be! Who the heck is this guy?-!"

Kirche and I blinked and turned to the source. There floating in the window was a male student with short spiked brown hair with sideburns. He had his arms crossed and definitely did not looked pleased at finding the redhead with me.

"Oh! Sticks!" Kirche gasped, seemingly remembering something. Smiling weakly, she spoke up, "We'll meet two hours from now."

"But that isn't what you said before!" the boy cried.

Kirche rolled her eyes and produced her wand from…somewhere. She waved it slightly before the flame on one of the candles shot out and took the form of a snake which collided with Sticks' forehead and sent him tumbling down to the ground…which was three floors down. I suppose I should have felt some kind of sympathy for him, but I just couldn't seem to muster it up for the guy. Did that make me a bad person?

"Friend of yours?" I asked rhetorically.

"Yes," the redhead admitted, turning back to me with us resuming out previous position. "Don't think too much about him. Right now is all about you and-"

"Kirche!"

The two of us turned and spotted another person floating at the window, this one with glasses and chin-length blonde hair, "Who is this guy? You said we were going to share a night of hot-!"

The boy's complaint was cut off as Kirche waved her wand again, sending another snake-like stream of flame out. The flame struck the boy in the chest, sending him tumbling out of the air and to the ground with a loud thud.

"Another friend?" I sighed.

"Yes," Kirche nodded, turning her attention back to me. "Now let us not waste any more time. It is only you and me and that is how it is going to stay."

"KIRCHE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?-! YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T HAVE A BOYFRIEND!"

Both of us turned back to the window, this time finding three boys crowding at the ledge trying to get the redhead's attention. They were torn between gazing longingly at her and shooting dark looks at me.

If this were an anime, Kirche would have been sweatdropping by now, "Manica! Ajax! Gimli! Um…I'll meet you in six hours!"

"But it'll be morning by then!" the trio cried.

Kirche merely snapped her fingers, catching Flame's attention. The salamander stood up on his hind legs and inhaled deeply before unleashing a gout of flame which impacted the trio and sending them tumbling out of the air with panicked screams.

Okay, this was getting ridiculous. Apparently I wasn't the first one that Kirche had been fooling around with. Then again, considering how she acted I'm not sure why I thought I would be in the first place. Maybe it was the romantic in me. Still, I wasn't going to end up a notch in her bedpost but I didn't want to hurt her feelings either. If she was going through this much effort to get me to respond rather than simply acting like a noble and order me to screw her, I could let her down gently I suppose.

"Now then," Kirche nodded, seeing her other guests were dealt with. "Where were-OH!"

The reason for her sudden gasp was that I had suddenly taken hold of her and like a pair of ballroom dancers spun about until both of us were in the moonlight pouring in through the window. I kept my back to the light while I stared down at her, one hand holding hers while another was wrapped around her waist. She was obviously surprised, but that quickly turned into a saucy smile of anticipation. Apparently she thought she had me.

Well, if normal speech didn't seem to get through to her, perhaps something of a more romantic era would get through to her.

"Truly, your name of Kirche The Passionate is well-deserved," I whispered into her ear, making her sigh. "I have never seen a woman burn as brightly as you have."

"Yes, oh yes!" she gasped joyously. She must have thought she really had me. "Oh it burns! I burn! I burn in my love for you Darling!"

"Yes," I nodded, trailing my right hand up to run my fingers through her hair. Hey, it worked in romantic movies and so I figured in a place like this it would work for me like a charm. "Such fire is indeed a wonderful sight. However…there is one thing about it I fear."

"Fear?" Kirche gasped, her eyes widening as she gazed at me. "Oh don't fear my love, Darling! Although it burns like an inferno in my heart, it could never harm you! The flames within me shall never burn a hair on your head! They will only embrace you so that our combined love can light a torch which the even heavens will be able to see!"

"Ah, but it is not being burned that I fear," I sighed dramatically, idly playing with the tips of Kirche's hair. It was a move she seemed to like as she leaned into my fingers. It was hard to tell if she was just playing along or if she was really being taken in by my words. Running my fingers under her chin, I had her look me straight in the eye. "What I fear, is your flames of passion burning out, leaving me cold and alone. I already saw five examples just now. Would I become number six?"

"Oh Darling! Never! My love will never die!" Kirche gasped, her one visible eye actually tearing up. "I shall show you Darling! I shall prove to you tonight that the love I have for you can never be stifled and it shall never die! Like the flames of a phoenix, it shall go on forever!"

"And how do you-URK!" My initial words were to try and see if Kirche was serious about having feelings for me, which would have been nice in all honesty, and if it was just a shallow thing use my flowery speech to have her give up or at the very least deter her. However, I didn't even get that far when an arm came in through the window and wrapped around my neck, tugging me away from Kirche.

"I won't have it!" a male voice shouted practically in my ear. "I won't have some other man steal away Kirche from me with pretty words and gestures! She needs a real man in her life, not some foreigner!"

"Everett! Let him go this instant!" Kirche frowned, reaching for her wand. "We were just getting somewhere!"

"I'm the one you should be going somewhere with!" the boy who gripped my neck shouted. Tightening and making it that much harder to breathe, he turned his attention to me. "Begone you worm!" With a yank, he pulled me out of the window and let me drop towards the ground!

"MATTHEW!"

* * *

><p>"<em>Matthew!" Kirche screamed as she dashed to the window ledge to see if her true love would be fine, although she had her doubts. The other boys she had knocked out of the window would certainly have been able to keep themselves from getting hurt with the use of the levitation spell to cushion their falls. Matthew wasn't able to use that spell though! He could seriously hurt himself if he fell wrong! Racing to the ledge, she put her head over to see if she could see where he fell while ignoring Everett's crowing over how he had 'claimed' her.<em>

_As if she would let herself be tied to such a barbaric man. Obviously she made a mistake in getting to know him!_

_Her eyes just cleared the stone ledge when…_

"_**TAKA!**__"_

"_**KUJAKU!**__"_

"_**CONDOL!**__"_

"_**TA~JA~DOL!**__"_

_Those words were all that Kirche had as warning before a flaming red mass soared up, just avoiding hitting her before planting what seemed to be the fiercest punch into Everett's face. The pushy boy cried as he was sent sprawling away, possibly to the other side of the school if she had seen where the force of the blow was sending him properly. Looking up to see where the fireball had gone, she instead only saw a lone figure hovering in front of the larger blue moon. His arms were crossed and one leg was behind the other while actual wings appeared to be coming from his back. The sight alone mesmerized the amorous redhead, but the crimson flames circling around him was an extra touch which made Kirche's heart pound in her chest. She didn't need to ask what the figure was, for she already knew._

"_Darling," she gasped breathlessly._

_The figure in front of the moon didn't say anything, but he did throw his arm out in some kind of gesture. Kirche didn't know what it was, but when a large red feather fluttered down in front of her, she gasped and took the item into her hands. She gazed at the item, feeling the heat coming off it like embers of a small flame. She looked up from the feather, but found the man who gave it to her to be gone. That was okay though, she knew he was nearby._

"_My heart," she whispered, holding the feather close to her chest. "I knew it. He has stolen my heart, just like I knew he would." _

* * *

><p>The Day of the Void, whatever that was, came and thus did my shopping day with Louise. Since there were no classes, everyone was allowed to do what they wanted with their time. In my case, Louise and I took a horse down to the nearby city in which all of the students and commoners both could get whatever they needed for their day to day life, studies or what not. I didn't really complain about the trip since I was still tired from the previous night. After I transformed into my TaJaDol form, I flew back to Louise's room as not to be interrupted again but even a short time of using the Blazing Combo made my body feel like lead.<p>

Although I can't remember why I gave that feather to Kirche. My mind was still a bit muddled about that.

Louise knew there was a shop in town that sold weapons. After we finally arrived in the town, I found it to be a bustling marketplace which I was later told was the largest street in all of Tristain. I suppose that made sense since such a high number of nobles, albeit children, with deep pockets were living nearby so all of the merchants would want to sell their wares near the school in order to get a big payday. Children certainly had a disposable income and liked to buy things often, doubly so for noble children who likely had the money to buy just about anything a teenager could want.

The shop itself was down an alleyway, which again made sense since most of the people who visited the town were likely civilians or students. Not many would need a sword aside from enthusiasts, guards for the nobles, or the odd wandering adventurer. It wasn't a commodity in high demand so he probably couldn't afford to take up some of the prime real estate in the main street. Still, the alley itself didn't seem too dingy so he probably did well enough.

We entered the shop proper and I had to blink. Weapons of all kinds, but mostly swords littered the shelves. They were all shapes, sizes, and materials which made them look impressive in many cases and well-made in all cases. I peered at a few and didn't see anything I'd call damage or signs of ruin on them, but I was hardly an expert on the subject. Still, I could at least tell that the swords in the store were of at least a respectable quality to I figured I could get something good out of the mass of steel around me.

At the front of the room, behind a wooden desk was a man who I could only describe as greasy and mouse-like. He had a long thing moustache that looked like whiskers while his front teeth were rather pronounced. Just looking at him made one feel like they needed to take a bath, and I was no exception. However, his attention wasn't really focused on me as much as it was on Louise. He obviously knew that Louise was a noble, not that it was hard considering she wore the uniform of the academy.

"Ah, nobles! What can I get you?" He rubbed his hands eagerly with a glint in his eyes. He was definitely a greedy one and from the looks of it he expected to get a ton of gold from Louise. I mean, I probably had little experience reading people and even I could tell that he was planning to rip her off. Of course, Louise was ever the sheltered little girl and couldn't even get a hint of what I was seeing.

"I need a sword for my Familiar," she said, gesturing to me and getting down to business right away.

"Ah, yes, I've just the thing!" he said as he ducked underneath his counter before he brought out what appeared to be a sword made of gold and decorated with jewels. Not one piece of it was steel like the rest of the blades, just gold, silver, and fine decoration. "How is this?"

"It's beautiful!" said Louise as she admired the blade. I, however, had other thoughts. This guy was obviously trying to rip Louise off and now I knew how. He was appealing to her noble sense of propriety and image, namely; 'I am noble therefore I must look noble at all times.' This just stank of a rip-off. "How much is it?"

"30,000 gold," the shopkeeper answered.

Yep, there it was.

"30,000!-?" Louise shrieked. "You could buy a house with servants included with that much gold!"

"Yes, but as you can see, this sword was forged by a famous alchemist and with gold and jewels it has to be as valuable as a house," said the shopkeeper, pointing out the beauty of the blade in his hands.

Louise looked at her satchel before she scowled. She apparently didn't have enough money for the sword.

"Actually, that sword is a bit too flashy for me," I said, saving Louise from embarrassment. "I mean it's made of gold and jewels. It's too tempting a target for bandits. Also, I just don't feel right with carrying that around with me. It looks more like something you'd use in a special ceremony, like maybe a wedding with a military man." I gestured helplessly, as if to say 'what can you do?' "Do you think you have something a bit more…low key?"

The shopkeeper gawked at me and I smiled. Then we heard another voice, "Well, it looks like you know you want in a sword, boy!" Normally it wasn't an odd thing in a shop but this was different. The problem was I didn't see anyone else in the shop but Louise and the shopkeeper. "Over here!" I looked at a barrel and spotted a rusted sword with part of the guard moving up and down like a mouth. "Hi!"

"A talking sword?" I blinked. Now there was something you didn't see every day. Daring to step closer, I saw that the sword was a moderate length and seemed like it might be a good size for me. It didn't seem to be as big as the broadswords or the Zwieihanders and definitely not as small or thin as the rapiers or the cane swords which the shop had, just a regular sword which looked like a decent weight. The only way I could be sure was if I picked the sword up and to be honest, I was a little leery of that.

"Derf, shut up!" the shopkeeper snapped, apparently very used to the sword's smack-talk. "You're ruining my business!"

"Serves you right for trying to cheat these people!" the sword, Derf was his name, shot back. Having said his piece to the shopkeeper, the sword turned his attention back to me. "So, what's your name kid?"

"It's Matthew. Matthew MacGregor."

"Well, then, Matthew MacGregor, if you're looking for a sword then why not choose good old Derflinger?"

Louise tugged my sleeve and whispered, "You can't seriously be considering buying _that_ piece of junk, are you?"

To be honest, I actually was considering buying Derflinger. I mean, it seemed like a good all-purpose sword. Since he was able to talk, I figured he had to be packing some serious magical power in him somewhere too. That would be perfect in case I had to fight another Yummy. Something as obviously beyond regular swords as he was would probably be an advantage in just about any fight I would get into. Granted he was covered in rust, but last I heard that could be fixed and if anyone would know how to do it, Derflinger would. Seemed like an easy choice to me.

"Hey, shopkeep, how much for him?" I asked the shopkeeper.

"1,000 gold!" the shopkeeper shouted, looking like he was mixed between being happy someone wanted Derflinger and disappointed that he couldn't scam Louise out of the 30,000 he initially aimed to get from the other sword.

"He's in the bargain bin and he's covered in rust. I think 100 gold pieces is a generous offer," I offered.

"500!" he lowered the price again.

"100," I insisted.

"400!"

"100," I stubbornly insisted. This was just like how Kougami and Ankh negotiated over the Cell Medals. I wanted to see how far I could go until the shopkeeper cracked under pressure and let me have my way.

"Fine, 100! I wanted to get rid of him anyway! He scares off my customers!"

Well, that didn't take long.

"Your face scares off customers!" Derflinger shot back as I collected him from the barrel.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, back at the academy, Kirche burst into Tabitha's room unannounced as the bespectacled bluenette was reading. With the fluid motion of one well-practiced, Tabitha gripped her staff and raised to unleash her magic just as Kirche opened her mouth. The redhead's mouth moved as if she were babbling about something, but no sound came out. Kirche continued to rant for a few moments without seemingly noticing that no noise was coming out. Eventually it seemed that Kirche wasn't going to run out of steam so Tabitha released the spell to see what her friend had to say.<em>

"_Tabitha, I am in love~" swooned Kirche. She then told Tabitha, with extravagance, of her romantic rendezvous with Matthew. Tabitha listened and then Kirche finished, "Now the Zero has taken him to town to buy him a present! I need a ride, a fast one! Can I borrow Sylphid?"_

* * *

><p>Louise, Derflinger, and I were heading down the streets at a sedate pace after leaving the sword shop. I was actually feeling good since I had gotten a pretty decent sword in my own opinion even if it was old and covered in rust. Derflinger was happy to be friends as he interjected in any conversation Louise and I had. The only one who wasn't in a very good mood was Louise herself. I honestly couldn't see why since she spent next to nothing on a pretty darn magical sword. If RPG's had taught me anything, it's that a sword with any kind of odd ability would end up being pretty darn valuable in the future.<p>

"I can't believe I bought you that rusted piece of junk," Louise frowned as she walked alongside me.

"Hey, I see it as a win-win situation. You save some gold, I get a sword, and that shopkeeper gets rid of Derflinger here," I answered.

"I like the way you think, Partner," said Derflinger, pleased with how I apparently understood his splendor.

"Thanks," I smiled. Looking to Louise, I decided to see if I could implement the idea I had. "So, now that we're here maybe we can do more shopping."

"We only came to buy a sword," Louise sniped, glaring at me. "Now you want me to use up more of my money?"

"But, I might need a wardrobe. You can't expect me to wear the same clothes each day, do you?" I asked. It was more than a bit of vanity on my part then for any practical reason beyond hygiene. I couldn't very well wear the same clothes every day. I got enough crap from the other students for dressing like a 'commoner', I didn't need people scorning me because of the fact that my clothes stunk. Besides, maybe if I had more appropriate clothing for the place I was in maybe people would stop staring at me so much!

Louise frowned in thought and I could see the gears turning in her head. Even if I was a commoner, albeit one who had access to magic artifacts no one had ever seen before I was still connected to Louise as her Familiar. As a noble, she had to look her best all the time and she couldn't be that if she had a Familiar that looked shabby following her everywhere. She only had one means of fixing that without keeping me locked up in her room. "Alright, let's go."

"Thank you, Louise," I grinned. Plan successful.

"Smooth, Partner," Derflinger admired.

"I still say we could sell some of your coins, though," Louise remarked.

"And I still say that's a bad idea." I frowned, glancing sideways at the pinkette. Even having one Greeed on the loose would be bad enough, never mind all of them.

"Hmph!" Louise huffed. "Just follow me. I know where the tailor is. They're very good and should be able to cover anything you need."

"So long as they do custom work," I shrugged, letting my summoner lead the way.

* * *

><p><em>Tabitha and Kirche had made it to Tristania on the back of Slyphid and landed nearby. Kirche was off like a shot and after telling the blue dragon not to eat anything, Tabitha was right behind her. Kirche led the way through the crowds of people as they went about their business, panicking over not finding Louise and Matthew anywhere they looked. Tabitha calmly followed, still holding her book and looking at its pages rather than looking through the masses of shoppers.<em>

"_Where could they be?" Kirche fretted. "I won't have that girl try to steal Matthew away from me!"_

"_There." Tabitha's soft voice called out, pointing her cane in another direction than the pair was travelling._

"_Huh?"Kirche blinked, looking to her friend. From there, she followed Tabitha's pointing direction to see a familiar head of pink hair and foreign set of clothes heading towards a tailor's shop. The only difference from the image Kirche was familiar with was the sword strapped to the young man's back. "Ah! There they are! And it looks like they're going to get some new clothes for him to go with that sword."_

_Tabitha merely blinked as she continued reading her book. It really wasn't her business despite Kirche bringing her into it._

"_Well she'll learn that material goods cannot buy love like the one I share with Darling!" the amorous redhead declared resolutely._

_Tabitha simply turned the page of her book._

* * *

><p>The tailor's shop was in fact a much more comfortable place to be than the sword shop. The owner was in fact a woman who had her hair tied in a bun using what looked like sewing needles helping keep it up. Rather than a dress like other women I've seen wear, she was wearing simple pants and a short-sleeved shirt. To be honest, it looked like a functional set of clothes to work in when it came to that sort of thing. She was working on a somewhat primitive mannequin which was modeling a dress she was making. As we entered, a bell rang and alerted her to our presence. Looking up from her work, her eyes sparked with recognition when they landed on Louise.<p>

"Ah! If it's not Miss Valliere again," the woman smiled. "Come to get your uniform fixed again?"

"Not this time Miss. Quinn," Louise answered. She was strangely respectful to someone who by all rights was a commoner. Maybe it was because of how often she likely needed her uniform fixed after one of her accidents. "I'm shopping for a new wardrobe for my Familiar since I summoned him with nothing but the clothes on his back."

"A human Familiar?" Quinn blinked, actually stopping her sewing to stare at me and Louise. "I heard some of the other students who came in mention such a thing, but I thought that it was just some gossip that was going around."

"Oh, it's true," I nodded bowing slightly to the seamstress. "I am the Familiar of Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere."

"You can at least introduce yourself half-decently," Louise huffed.

"I was trying to at least dispel any of the bad rumors," I huffed from the side of my mouth.

Quinn didn't seem to mind our banter and instead seemed to find it somewhat heart-warming from the way she was smiling at us, "You two remind me of my younger sister and I."

"Hah?-!" Louise gaped while I struggled to not snort. "Listen here! He is my Familiar! As if he can compare to someone of noble birth, much less a Valliere like me or my sisters!"

"I can use magic, can't I?" I snickered, sticking my hands in my pockets.

"You can?" asked Derflinger, wiggling himself out of his sheathe enough to talk. "Man, do I know how to pick a partner!"

Quinn gaped quite openly at the announcement, obviously not having heard that much when it came to rumors about me and Louise, "Y-You…you can use magic? Does that mean you a noble?"

"No he is not!" Louise hissed, losing her already short patience. "Now we came here to discuss a new wardrobe for my familiar and I hope you can provide!"

Quinn could tell like I could that Louise was through fooling around. Quickly shaking off her shock, she returned to her more professional mindset so she could complete her business with Louise and not antagonize the Valliere family through their daughter, "Okay, now what can I help you with?"

"Um, can I offer a suggestion?" I asked, raising my hand.

"What?" Louise asked tiredly.

"Just some personal designs I'd like to try out," I offered.

"Ah, excellent," Quinn smiled. "I'm always happy to have a customer's input. Tell me, what would you like with your wardrobe?"

"Well," I began stepping forward. "I'd like a few three-piece outfits each a different colour: red, green, yellow, grey, blue, purple, black, and orange. Nothing too fancy, but I would like to have emblems stitched onto them if you could." I was a little worried that Quinn wouldn't be able to put the designs I had in mind on the clothes I wanted since embroidery was a pretty complicated process that usually a machine would do back home.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Quinn smiled. "In my shop, thread work is a snap!" She then made a gesture with her hands which made a familiar feeling enter the air. Quite suddenly, needles attached to thread rose into the air behind the seamstress before another snap of her fingers made the needles dive towards the dress she had been working on, forming an intricate design in the fabric which made the dress look beautiful. Louise didn't seem surprised, but I sure as hell was.

"You can use magic too?" I gaped. "Doesn't that mean you're a noble too?"

"I used to be," Quinn answered, not even glancing back as her needles completed their work. "My full name is Quistis Bordeux von McDowell. I was the third daughter of my family and wasn't really slated to receive my family's fortune like my older brother was. My parents also intended to have me marry a complete pig and after having dinner with him once and fighting off his groping hands, I decided to leave and find my own fortune."

"Ah," I nodded. Now I felt a little awkward first for gaping like a goof at her magic and now for asking about an obviously painful past. "Well, it figures why you'd be able to open a tailor's shop here where nobles frequent. You must be one of the best."

"Just about every noble comes here for uniform fittings at the school," Quinn smiled. "Now then, what about these symbols you want me to put on your outfits?"

"Right," I nodded. Reaching into my pockets I pulled out the O-Medal Book. Setting it on Quinn's counter, I opened it to reveal the Core Medals. I took out a set of three from each group, spreading them across the table for her to see. "You can guess by the colors which ones I want on which outfit."

"Oh, yes," Quinn nodded, admiring the black Cores among the others. "Would it be all right if I kept these until the clothes are done? That way I can be as accurate as possible when it comes to the embroidery."

"Oh, no way," I denied. "I can't risk that. If it would help, I can maybe leave charcoal rubbings or something."

"Well, that would work best next to having the real thing," Quinn nodded. "I'll go get some light paper and some charcoal. Don't worry about them being too small, I know an enlargement spell which can help with that."

"Great," I smiled. Quinn nodded and went to the back room of the shop to get the supplies she needed. That left Louise and I to wait for her.

The pinkette seemed willing to at least wait as she took a seat on a nearby chair reserved for waiting customers. I just contented myself to wait at the counter for Quinn to return so I could make the charcoal rubbings of the Medals for her. Maybe it was vain of me to want the etchings of the Core Medals on my clothes, but I really didn't like being considered just a commoner so if I took pride in the power I had then maybe the other nobles around me would be at least a little more respectful if they knew I had magic power too.

Then as was my usual luck as of late, something or someone popping up unexpectedly. In this case, it was a familiar chesty redhead kicking the door open and entering in her usual flourish with her quiet bluenette friend following her.

"Darling~!" Kirche called as she and Tabitha came into the store.

"Zerbst!" Louise hissed, up on her feet in an instant. "What are you doing here!-?"

"Oh, it's you, Zero," Kirche responded idly acknowledging Louise by the sidelines by using that nickname the pinkette hated so much. Pleasantries with the girl she loved to torment aside, she spotted me and smiled widely before going up to hug me, "Oh, Darling. I've missed you." She pressed herself against me tightly, once again trying to have me memorize the shape of her breasts with my own chest.

"Kirche, unhand my Familiar this instant!" Louise snapped. She was beginning to tremble in her fury and her wand had ended up in her hand, just itching to be used despite the fact that no spell she had would turn out right. It wouldn't need to. Her usual result in trying to cast spells would be enough for the probable violence she had in mind.

"Hi, Kirche," I greeted politely, trying not to think about the explosion which may or may not be coming.

"Darling, I still have that precious gift you gave me in my room," Kirche said, gazing up at me with heat in her eyes. "Thank you ever so much."

"WHAT!-?" Louise shrieked, her enraged focus turning from Kirche to me in a heartbeat. "MATTHEW!"

"Her Familiar dragged me to her room for a...talk," I told Louise. I couldn't really say Kirche was trying to seduce me but maybe that went without saying.

"And it was quite a talk we had," Kirche giggled, giving an extra press of her breasts against me. "He showed passion hotter than any flame. He had become like a phoenix!" She leaned back slightly and I could see a large red feather pinned to the front of her cloak. I was still trying to wrack my brain and figure out why I had given it to her, but since my memory was fuzzy about that night after I changed, I just couldn't remember. Well, an upside was that it made Kirche happy I suppose. Too bad Louise was probably going to blow me up for it.

From the way she was glaring at me, I knew what I was in for. Her gaze promised pain, pain, and a whole lotta pain. '_Ho boy!_'

As she was leaning back, Kirche took notice of the sword strapped to my back. Naturally, Derflinger's rusty parts were showing which made his blue sheathe look that much better. It didn't serve to make the sentient sword look any more impressive though. Kirche of course decided to comment on that in effort to dig into Louise once again, "So, were you too cheap to buy him anything decent?"

"Hey, lady! Don't look down on me!" Derf snapped. The few words the sword spoke made Kirche and Tabitha both glance at him. Tabitha didn't show anything more that her restrained interest while Kirche was openly gaping at the sword in unrestrained shock.

"A talking sword!" she cried.

"And I was the one who chose him," I told Kirche, making her start staring at me in surprise. "And he might be a little rusty, but I think he'll make a great weapon."

Kirche blinked, but simply shrugged as she took another look at Derflinger. "Well, that's true I suppose, but since we're all here maybe I can help you choose suitable clothes, Darling." She was giving me another one of her smoky looks and it made me feel like she was stripping me with her eyes. I'd have bet got money that she was already imagining me dressed up in outfits which were less than decent on any human being. I had to act fast before I found myself squeezed into one such outfit.

"I actually know what I want," I said to Kirche. "It's getting ready."

"Oh?" the redhead purred. "Then don't be shy! Share your ideas and maybe I can lend my opinions!"

"Ummm," I blinked. I was all for a second opinion, but considering how…sensual Kirche liked to play it, I wasn't sure if her opinion and mine would mesh very well.

"Got it!" Quinn's voice rang before the woman herself came back into the shop proper with a small stack of thin papers and a chunk of charcoal. Coming to the counter, she set the supplies down before she looked ahead and spotted Tabitha and Kirche in the store, "Ah! Ms. Tabitha, Ms. Zerbst. How nice to see you again. I hope everything still fits well."

"Oh it fits divinely," Kirche purred. Tabitha nodded her own answer to Quinn's question. "That negligee was wonderful too. A shame I haven't used it to its full effect yet."

"Well, glad to know my clothes work no matter what the situation," Quinn grinned impishly. Turning her attention back to me, she pushed the materials towards the Core Medals I had on the counter. "Now then, shall we get those designs you want marked down?"

"Gladly," I smiled weakly, untangling myself from Kirche's grip I approached the counter to begin the rubbings.

"Then we can discuss how you want your outfits to look," Quinn nodded, eyeing the Core Medals with curiosity.

"I can help with that!" Kirche offered as she approached the counter beside me.

"Ah, your ideas always sell," Quinn smiled brightly. "I can't tell you the number of clients who saw me working on your outfits and asked for copies."

"Oh ho ho ho! Of course!" Kirche giggled hauntingly, but it made me shiver in fright.

Please don't let her taste in clothes be as libertine as her personal attitudes.

I finished up the charcoal rubbings, which depicted the emblems of OOO's primary Combos. The first was the symbol for TaToBa Combo, followed by GataKiriBa, then RaToraTah, followed by SaGoZo, then TaJaDol, after that it was ShaUTa, and finally it was PuToTyra. I even got BuraKaWani added to the mix and after some goofing around I put together what the likely image of the Sasori, Kani, and Ebi Medals would look like together.

"Hm…interesting…" Quinn murmured as she saw the designs.

I told her what colors the symbols would go well with. She seemed to understand what I was looking for.

"My, you are quite an artist," Quinn said.

"Not really," I shrugged. "I've seen them dozens of times. I know them by heart."

"Look pretty funky to me partner," Derflinger commented. "Any chance I can see them?"

"Stick with me long enough and you will," I replied, putting the last touches on the combined Scorpion, Crab, and Shrimp crest. With the final stroke, I finished the design and handed it over before scooping up the Core Medals to replace in my book. "So do you think it's doable?"

"Easy," Quinn nodded, eyeing the designs. "Probably one of the biggest works I've done though. Most people only want lace or something small."

"Dare to be different," I replied. "Louise volunteered to pay for it so I guess you'll just send word when it's done?"

"Sure will," Quinn nodded "Now you kids get on out of here. I've got work to do and you all probably have some practicing to do for the Familiar Exhibition Festival coming up soon."

"The what?" I blinked.

* * *

><p>"You don't know what the Familiar Exhibition Festival is?" asked Siesta in surprise.<p>

Louise hadn't seen fit to explain to me just what the festival Quinn had mentioned was. She really apparently didn't want to talk about it after Kirche gave the pinkette a thorough teasing over having an unconventional Familiar to present for the festivities. She didn't see fit to mention it even after we got back the school. Instead, she told me to go do whatever I wanted while she looked to 'important matters'. So left alone, I decided to wander around and see what was going on that day.

It was how I stumbled onto Guiche posing in flowers with what looked like a giant mole, Montmorency decorating a brightly-coloured frog with a ribbon like hers, and a chubby blonde boy I never met before drilling his owl on aerial tricks. I could only assume that they were practicing for the Festival. I would have asked one of them what the Festival was about, but Montmorency didn't like me, I didn't feel like seeing if Guiche was holding a grudge, and I didn't even know the chubby boy. It wasn't until I ran into Siesta who was carrying a bucket of soapy water and a rag did I finally start getting answers to my questions.

"She neglected to mention it," I replied, walking alongside her down the hall.

"Well, it's a mandatory event which all of the second years take part in. It's to showcase the Familiars they summoned," Siesta explained. "Everyone tries hard since a prize is awarded to the winner, but everyone is trying doubly hard since the princess is attending this year."

"Wait, a princess is coming?" I blinked at Siesta. Louise had mentioned that all of the countries on the continent of Halkeginia were ruled by royalty and Tristain was obviously no different. I just never would have guessed that royalty would come to the school.

"Yes. Princess Henrietta," Siesta nodded. "She's become a very symbolic figure to all of the citizens since His Highness passed away."

"She's that popular?" I wondered. I hadn't heard of any member of royalty being popular in a positive way since the last royal wedding back home in my country.

"Yes. We're all very busy working hard to welcome her properly," the happy maid nodded. "If you'll excuse me though, I have to get back to work."

"I understand," I nodded. "Don't let me keep you."

With a smile, Siesta began walking away. However, she didn't get very far before she stopped again. Setting her bucket down, she turned around and came back to me before grasping both my hands in her. She was smiling softly at me as she spoke, "Good luck to you Matthew. I just know you'll win over any other Familiar."

"Uh…thanks," I smiled slightly.

Nodding with her bright smile, Siesta let my hands go and returned to retrieve her bucket before trotting off for her next job. I watched her go for a moment before sticking my hands in my pockets and heading off in my own direction to see what else was going on that day.

I was also thinking of what I could do to help make Louise look good. This Familiar Exhibition Festival seemed to be like a talent show for the students to show off what their Familiars could do. Those who had witnessed what I did during my duel with Guiche knew what I could do but those who hadn't witnessed or heard about it might brush me off as some commoner. Well, I might as well show them to never judge a book by its cover. I would need to discuss with Louise of what I might be able to do during the festival. This would be my chance to get back at the snobs in the school as well as get Louise off my back about hanging out in Kirche's room the previous night.

* * *

><p>The sun was setting by the time Louise and I were able to get any time together to discuss the Festival. The reason for that was because the princess had arrived that day and everyone had to stand on ceremony for her. Apparently everyone had been preparing for a while now and I never noticed and Louise never saw fit to tell me. The students had all lined up on the sides of the cobblestone path leading up to the academy while the teachers stood at the base of the stairs leading into the building proper. The princess herself had arrived in an escorted carriage pulled by unicorns of all things. When she finally exited her carriage, I could begin to see why everyone seemed so enchanted with her.<p>

She was slim and curvy in all the right ways despite likely looking no older than me or Louise. She wore a white dress which looked just about perfect in every way and was accented by the purple cloak which hung from her shoulders. Her hair seemed naturally full and was as long as her shoulders, bearing a similar shade to her cloak which made her look exotic yet still royal at the same time. Her face was gentle and soft, revealing to anyone who cared to look that she was a kind person. She was elegant and perfectly poised. I had to admit I could see why so many people had gotten so enamored with her.

After seeing the princess arrive, we were sent back to our rooms since classes were over for the day. So it allowed us to finally talk about what our plans for the upcoming Festival.

"You actually want to compete?" asked Louise, somewhat surprised. She was sitting on her bed in her nightgown, ready for bed.

"Well, it's mandatory to participate," I shrugged, sitting on the pile of straw which served as my bed. "May as well agree on what we want to do instead of having another thing making both of us look like fools."

"True," Louise nodded. "At least you aren't some ordinary commoner with those Core Medals at your disposal. We actually have a pretty good chance at winning if you use the Medals right. Switch through some of the various colors and you have and do some stunts with them and we should be able to impress everyone!" her voice rose from bland to excited as she realized that we indeed had a good chance of winning if I used my powers right.

"Or rather than using a random combination of different Medals, why not go for a Full Combo instead?" I suggested.

"Oh, do you think we should?" Louise wondered, her eyes sparkling at the thought of the extra power a Full Combo would give me, and thus become more impressive.

"Well, maybe just for that little bit extra which will have us place, if not win outright," I shrugged. "I even have a Combo which works as part of a performance rather than just battle. I do have an idea on how to make the performance go at its best though." I glanced up at the pinkette. "We'd have to ask for Guiche's help to make it happen though."

"Why would we need his help?" Louise frowned.

"Because he's the only one I know around here who can make golems fast and he's likely to be a little intimidated by me so he'd be likely to grant the request if I asked," I replied.

"Alright, we'll go see if Guiche can help," agreed Louise. The blond was likely to do anything to avoid a beating so if he thought he was going to get one; he'd work to avoid it.

Before we could actually go to see if we could find the playboy, a soft knocking came to the door. Louise glanced at me and I knew that I would have to answer it for her. It was one of the duties I wouldn't be able to escape while I was Louise's familiar. So, I reluctantly got up off of my 'bed' and walked over to the door. Undoing the lock, I opened the door to greet whoever was on the side but I couldn't get even one word out before someone in a concealing cloak forced their way inside.

"Who are you?" Louise demanded, standing up straight up from her bed.

"It's been a while," the sudden guest murmured, the voice revealing the figure to be female.

Louise blinked in confusion.

The mysterious woman seemed to shiver before she leaped at Louise, much to both our shocks before the woman trapped Louise inside a powerful and obviously loving hug. The cloak came loose in her rush and fell away. Much to my shock, as if the hug wasn't enough, the woman who was hugging Louise so closely was none other than the princess Henrietta herself!

"Louise Francoise!" the princess cried happily, clutching the pinkette tightly.

"Y-Your Highness!" Louise gasped out, her jaw dropping in surprise. After a moment of being surprised, she managed to gently slip her way out of the princess' embrace before bowing on her knee. "Please do not embrace a lower-class person like me or bother yourself by coming to a place like this on your own."

"Oh Louise Francoise, please don't be so formal when we are alone," the princess smiled softly. "We're friends."

"You are so kind to one such as me," Louise smiled, likely the most honest and wholesome smile I have seen on her since I had met her. It was kind of a shame that I had to break up the heart-warming moment with my own ignorance.

"Uh, for those of us are apparently not in the know," I spoke up, still standing at the now shut door. "I take it that you two know each other from somewhere?"

"Right," Louise sighed, standing up and gesturing at the princess. "I had the honor of being selected as a royal playmate when both the princess and I were younger."

"Can you not say we were childhood friends?" asked Henrietta, gazing longingly at Louise with her eyes misting up. "I…I missed you so very much."

"Princess," Louise murmured, stepping closer to see if she could comfort her monarch.

"I'm sorry," Henrietta sighed, wiping her eyes. "It is just ever since my father passed away, I have not had anyone I can talk openly with."

I was merely a bystander as I watched Louise and Henrietta reconnect after apparently a long time of being separated. After a moment of the two speaking softly to one another, Henrietta seemed to notice me and flushed slightly before looking back to Louise, "Please forgive my intrusion though. I seem to have interrupted a moment between you and your lover."

"LOVER?-!" Louise and I both cried out. Although he was fully sheathed, I was pretty sure that I could hear Derflinger chuckling at the insinuation. I'd get him for that later.

"No! No! No! No!" Louise cried, waving her hands in a panic while I just tried to reboot my brain from the statement I just heard. Not that Louise wasn't attractive, but her attitude half the time was a turn off. "He's my Familiar your highness! My Familiar!"

"Your Familiar and not your lover?" Henrietta blinked. "You two seem so close though."

"As if I would lower myself to be a lover of a commoner!" Louise huffed, crossing her arms and puffing her cheeks.

"Commoner she calls me," I sighed, ignoring Derflinger's further chuckling. Honestly, the sword must have wanted me because of how much comedy value we had to it. "She keeps calling me that even though I have the power of a king from 800 years ago. So what if it's not this country's magic, it's still magic!"

"It's not magic! It's just your silly coins!" Louise snapped at me.

"Correction: It's not how your people use magic," I retorted. I knew I shouldn't have been arguing like a brat in front of the princess, but that talk about seeing me as a commoner and Familiar with nothing else going for me deserved some payback. "Never mind that only I can do it until the day I die, that by anyone's definition it's magical and how people need some kind of magic ability to use magical items, since it's not how Madame Louise does magic, it can't possibly be magic!"

"Why you-!"

"Ah! You are royalty?" Henrietta asked.

We both looked at Princess Henrietta and Louise's face lit up in embarrassment for arguing in front of her while I tried to calm down. "Well, no," I answered. "I'm not royalty. I just happen to use magical artifacts that once belonged to a king 800 years ago." I added, "And I happen to be the only one who can use them as well."

"Well, if that's the case then you must be descended from royalty," Henrietta concluded. That…wasn't an entirely wrong guess to have considering how I knew the O-Driver and the Core Medals would work. Besides, with all the evidence like the Core Medals and O-Driver being in my possession, the fact that only I could use them I guess it was a possibility to the princess.

"That…might be true," I responded. Yeah, in my dreams maybe. "But well, I wouldn't want to be linked to that king anyway."

"Why not?" Henrietta asked curiously.

"Oh, he became greedy, tried to achieve godhood, and was punished for it by being turned to stone," I summarized, making Henrietta blink in shock. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled my hand out before I showed the princess my Taka, Tora and Batta Medals, "These Core Medals are all that remain of his empire." I then stuffed the Medals away for safe keeping. Deciding to change the subject before Louise got on my case about claiming to be royalty, I asked a question which had been bugging me. "So, Your Highness, what brings you here tonight?" I asked. There had to be a reason for her to make a late night visit and in disguise to boot.

"I simply wished to visit a dear friend," smiled Henrietta.

"Your Highness, I am not worthy…" began Louise.

"Please, Louise, why not call me by my old childhood nickname?" requested the princess gently.

"Alright, Anne…" Louise answered, blushing. I couldn't deny it at this point; she looked so cute like that.

"I suppose you'll both be competing tomorrow," said the princess. "And I see that she has summoned a fine Familiar to look after her. It puts my mind at ease to know she has someone dedicated like yourself to be at her side." She looked to me. "Forgive me, but I forgot to ask for your name, Mister…"

"MacGregor. Matthew MacGregor," I answered.

"I wish you both luck at tomorrow's exhibition then, Louise and Matthew." With a dainty wave, she refastened her disguising cloak and exited the room with very little fanfare. That left Louise and I by ourselves once again.

"Nice lady," I smiled. "I can see why people are so taken with her."

"For once we agree," Louise nodded.

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, chapter 3 is up for your viewing pleasure. Like always, feel free to drop a review if you feel like it. However, flamers will not be tolerated. If you like the story then great but if you don't then I can't change your mind. I'm not making you read it.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Kamen Rider OOO or Familiar of Zero. I am only writing this for fun and not for profit so sit back and enjoy.

**Familiar of ZerOOO**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**CHAPTER 4: The Exhibition Festival, a Golem, and a Thief**

Preparations for the festival were already underway with the stage set up. The chairs were beginning to fill up with spectators and guests all wanting to get a good seat so they could see the performances. The students and Familiars were to perform on an elevated stage which had enough space for them to do whatever they needed to do. For me, it was barely big enough for the show I had intended. While they waited, students were doing some last minute preparations with their Familiars, adding new tricks in some cases. Louise and I spotted Guiche with his mole Familiar and approached him so to see if he would help us with our performance. As soon as the blonde saw us coming though, his eyes widened in terror.

"Relax," I said calmly, "I'm not here to fight" I think he'd know by now that it'd be a bad idea to challenge me again.

"Ah…yes…" said Guiche, wiping some sweat off his brow. "What can I do for you both?"

"We're going to need a few golems for Matthew's performance," Louise gestured to me. "Can you make them?"

"But of course!" the fop beamed with a twirl of his rose. I think he was greatly relieved to hear that I wasn't holding any kind of grudge for the duel incident. "It is but a flick of the wrist for me. How many of them do you require?"

"I think about five would be enough for the demonstration," I nodded. "What I'd require them to do is to attack me at a certain point in my demonstration. After that, I'm going to go all out on them and show off some of the skills I have with my armour."

"Ah, yes," the blonde nodded, holding his rose up in order to look pensive. "Truly the artefacts you wield are most frightening." Sighing dramatically even though no one was watching it, he stood straight and for once didn't flinch when he looked at me. "I will have the golems ready when it is your turn on stage. Louise can just give the signal and I will send them into battle."

"Thanks Guiche," I nodded. "We appreciate this."

"Think nothing of it!" he smiled, but I could practically see him thinking '_Just don't fight me again_,' in his mind. The way he was standing ramrod straight with his jaw clenched and hands tightened into fists kind of made the image obvious.

Eventually everyone including Princess Henrietta was in attendance and soon the Familiar Exhibition began. I had to admit that a lot of the students were pulling out all of the stops. Kirche had Flame shoot flaming patterns from his mouth. Montmorency had her toad croak along to a song she played on a violin. The boy with the owl I saw before had his familiar fly through the air with a streamer behind it to create patterns. Guiche simply struck poses with his mole on a bed of roses, something which seemed to set off his fans rather well, but make Montmorency look like she was about to go on a killing spree.

Finally, it was our turn,

"And next we have Ms. Valliere and her familiar Matthew MacGregor," Prof. Colbert announced, acting as the MC on the stage.

Nearby, Louise and I were waiting inside a small tent which was used to house the students and their familiars so they could prep themselves and not give anything away to the audience until their turn. We were both waiting at the front of the tent since we were one of the last to go on stage. Derflinger wasn't going to be strapped to my back for this since I didn't know what would happen if I transformed while I has him equipped and testing that while on stage didn't seem like a good idea. He didn't like it, but I propped him up outside of the tent so he could see what our act would be. That calmed him down enough to wait for our turn. I was almost relieved when Prof. Colbert called for us to come onto stage.

"Well, let's do this," I sighed.

"Right," Louise nodded. "Do you have the Medals you need?"

"Right in my pocket," I nodded. "You remember the signal?"

"Of course!" Louise nodded. "Just don't make me look bad in front of the princess!"

"Right, right," I sighed.

Both of us exited the tent and approached the stage. Climbing a small set of stairs, we were on the stage and in the very centre to face the audience. I could see several of them were snickering, likely already waiting to tease Louise the Zero over her commoner familiar. Obviously they either didn't know the rumours about me or didn't believe them. Well, they were about to receive one hell of a shock in that case.

"My name is Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere," Louise introduced before she gestured towards me. "This is my Familiar, Matthew MacGregor. For those of you who still don't know, he has a secondary name like we do. He is also known as Kamen Rider OOO."

"OOO?" shouted one voice in the audience. "So he's a zero just like you then?"

Several people in the audience began laughing quite loudly at the proclamation. Pleasantly, I noticed that Kirche, Guiche, and Tabitha were not among them. Louise took the ribbing in stride, despite how puffed her cheeks became. She knew she had summoned a damn cool Familiar who could use a magic no one had ever seen before so that was preventing her from flying off the handle again, but it looked like it was a close thing.

"Remember the plan," I whispered to her.

"Right," Louise huffed before she addressed the audience again. "I will now have my Familiar demonstrate his skills to you all!" When no one heckled her, she began to back away with one last pleading look towards me, "Don't screw up."

"Promise," I muttered as I stepped forward. Reaching into my pockets, I retrieved the O-Driver and the Orange Core Medals. Stepping forward, I stared out at the audience. It was time to butter up the people so they think my upcoming trick would be even cooler. "Ladies and gentlemen, lords and ladies, it is my great pleasure to meet you here this fine morning. I have a special performance prepared just for you." I attached the O-Driver to my waist, letting it get secured. "So sit back, relax and enjoy the show. I guarantee you won't regret it," I tossed the three Medals into the air, letting the audience get a good look at them. The Orange Medals glinted in the sunlight before coming back down into my waiting hand. "Now…" I slipped the Cobra Medal in. "Watch…" I inserted the Turtle Medal. "My…" In went the Crocodile Medal. All three Medals began to shine now that I had them together in the Driver. I locked the buckle and using the O-Scanner, scanned the Medals. "Henshin!"

"**KOBURA!**"

"**KAME!**"

"**WANI!**"

"**BURAKA~WANI!**"

The Medals danced around me before the three orange ones appeared in a vertical line before combining into one and fusing with my chest. My armour instantly appeared and covered me from head to toe. The audience of course began to gape at my sudden and quite obviously magical transformation. The only ones who didn't seemed stunned into stillness were the nobles who had seen me transform before and even they were surprised to see my suit in a Full Combo.

My arms were the same as when I used them in the classroom Louise blew up a few days ago. However, my head and legs were completely different from any other form I had used up until that point. My head had orange armour markings along the side and on my face which resembled a beard and sideburns. Wrapped around the top of my head was a turban-like headdress which looked like a snake's body coiled around my head with a snake's tail coming out where a ponytail would. On top of my helmet was a dome-like area which resembled a cobra's hood. Just below the hood on my helmet was a purple gemstone which matched the purple eyepieces to my helmet. My legs had deep orange armour on my thighs that was ridged with black lined on my inner thighs, making them look like the necks of a crocodile. The armour on my shins which went from knee to ankle and looked like half of a crocodile head with sawblade-like teeth running along my calves.

Oh, I looked badass and I knew it. How I looked didn't compare to how I felt though. I could feel the raw power coursing through my veins and it was a hell of a feeling. I could suddenly understand why Eiji Hino would roar out almost every time he took on a Combo himself. I felt like I could explode with power right there on the stage! I was clenching my fists over and over again, taking deep breaths, trying not to let the power go to my head. I couldn't just stand there trying to get over it though since everyone was expecting a show and I would have to deliver or else Louise was never going to let me hear the end of it.

So taking another deep breath and trying not to fidget like I had ADHD, I started using the power of the armour and summoned a weapon which was only useable in the orange combo. A flash of orange and it was in my hand. It looked like a pungi, a musical instrument traditionally used in the act of snake charming. It was called the Burahngi and it was going to be vital to my act. Holding the item like a proper instrument, I brought the mouthpiece to my lips would have been and took a deep breath. I could see several students already preparing to laugh and jeer at me for trying to play an instrument with a helmet on, but the insults died in their throats when I began sending out the alluring and enchanting tone which snake charmers would use. From the power of the music, the top of my helmet began to react. In a flash, a giant cobra rose into the air with a mighty hiss.

Many students in the front row gasped and flinched at the sight of the snake. I think one girl fainted when she saw it. I just continued playing my music, having the snake formed from my armour dance about in a hypnotizing motion. Despite how many people I was scaring by having such a huge snake come out of my armour, I saw that Osmond and Henrietta actually seemed fascinated by what I had pulled off.

Oh they hadn't seen anything yet.

"Guiche! Now!" I heard Louise cry from her side of the stage.

In five flashes of light, five of Guiche's signature golems rose up from the ground in front of the stage. All five of them gripped their spears and charged at me, eliciting cries from the audience and a gasp of shock from Henrietta. I remained unconcerned about the golems as they charged, but I didn't just stand there either. I quickly changed the song I was playing on the Burahngi. The cobra coming out of my helmet noticed the change in tune and likewise changed movement. Rather than sway about, it moved with purpose and struck like a cobra would, at speeds not many could follow. The first of the golems met a face full of angry cobra and was sent tumbling backwards from the impact knocking it off balance. The cobra didn't remain still as it stuck at the next golem in line, making it stumble in defending itself.

The remaining three golems charged at me with their weapons raised. Once they were close enough, they lunged at me with their spears pointed at me. I quickly stopped playing the Burahngi, making the cobra vanish while I raised my Kame Arms. The spears impacted against the shell-like gauntlets, making orange sparks as the bronze weapons were repelled. The three golems stumbled slightly from being repelled, and I took advantage. A guttural growl came through my ears as an orange pulse of power came from my Wani emblem to my legs, making them shine. Quickly positioning myself as the golems tried to get their balance back, I unleashed a roundhouse kick aimed at the trio's head. As my leg came closer, the armour pulsed and an orange crocodile head appeared over my leg and bit down just as I hit the first golem's head, destroying the face in one big chunk. My leg continued and struck the second golem, causing that crocodile head to bite again and destroy the golem's face as well as half its head. My kick hit the final one and another bite caused the golem's head to be destroyed just like the other two. Standing straight again, I watched the three golems fall to the ground and vanish, leaving three rose petals behind.

The last two golems both managed to get back on their feet from the cobra's attack. Undaunted by the loss of their fellows, they charged at me with their spears raised once again. I remained unconcerned as they charged closer, I already having an idea to deal with them. When they charged close enough, I hopped to the right, able to dodge their strikes. As they were about to turn to face me again, I charged at them and slammed into the first with my shields raised. The power of the shields of course activated, repelling the first golem into the second one, knocking them both to the ground in a heap of metal.

"Now, prepare yourselves for the grand finale!" I announced as I walked to the opposite side of the stage from the golems. Reaching my destination, I turned to face the golems once again. Seeing them still down, I grabbed the O-Scanner and swiped it across the Medals in my belt.

"**SCANNING CHARGE!**"

The space between myself and the golems suddenly became occupied by three floating orange rings. I could hear gasps coming from the audience and I knew I had them at the nose. All that was left to do was finish the act. I took a running start towards the first of the three orange rings, but before I reached it I leaned back and began sliding across the ground, feet first. Rather than come to a stop though, I just kept going as if I were moving like a snake! I passed through the first ring, then the second, and then the third, collecting power for my next strike as I went. When I finally came across the recovering golems, I kicked off the ground and flew at the pair for a kick just as another crocodile head appeared over my legs for a bite as I struck the pair, "SEE-YAH!"

The golems didn't stand a chance as they exploded on the impact. Chunks of bronze flew in all directions, making the audience cry out as they struggled to cover themselves and avoid being hit by the pieces. They needn't have bothered since all of the pieces had vanished barely a heartbeat after the golems were destroyed. I myself just landed on my feet after the kicked and calmly brushed some imaginary dust off of my legs. Walking to the centre of the stage, I eyed the audience until they were paying attention to me again.

"Finish," I announced, bowing theatrically.

Everyone was silent at first and for a moment I thought I had frightened them rather than impressed them. That fear only existed for a moment before all of the students suddenly erupted in cheers. All of the students were unleashing whoops and cries at my performance. I could see Kirche jumping up and down praising me (and incidentally making one of her most notable features be that much more noticeable) and Guiche was even looking impressed even though it was his golems I crushed. A few of the students were looking more shocked that amazed, but I suppose I couldn't please everyone.

Henrietta seemed very impressed from the way she was clapping at the performance. Her smile was bright and her eyes shining, although I couldn't help but feel she might have been happier for Louise getting a Familiar like me rather than over just what I managed to do. Next to her, Osmond was watching with a somewhat neutral air as he puffed on his pipe while looking at me. It was hard to guess how he was viewing everything. I suppose unless it involved hot women then one just didn't know what he was thinking.

Finished my act I walked to the end of the stage where Louise was waiting. She looked like a kid who looked like they had been told that Chirstmas had been moved to twice a year and one of which would be on their birthday. It was nice to see her happy about something rather than being upset or snobby for a change. She was also holding Derflinger whom I guessed she brought from the tent so he could see properly.

"That was amazing Partner!" the animated sword cheered. "I had no idea this was the kind of magic people said you had!"

"Yeah, it is pretty cool," I nodded.

"It was perfect!" Louise grinned brightly. "We'll win for sure! Kirche's little lizard can't even compare! Yes!"

"Now we just have to worry about Tabitha's dragon," I shrugged. Reaching to my belt, I removed the three orange Medals before taking off the belt proper. The armour vanished from my body in a flash, leaving me back to normal. However, the raging energy which was in my body likewise vanished and I suddenly felt like I was made out of lead. Wobbling on the spot, I collapsed with a soft thud onto the grass with a groan marking my passing. Barely conscious, I decided to just admire the sky for the moment while I tried to stay awake.

"Partner?-!" Derflinger cried. Louise blinked at my sudden collapse in concern, but then remembered what I had told her about Full Combos and her eyes widened in realization. It didn't stop her from looking concerned though.

"I'm okay," I groaned. "Using a Full Combo…just takes a lot out of me. Maybe…once I get used to them…this won't happen. I just need a few minutes."

* * *

><p>Tabitha and Sylphid's performance was nothing to scoff at as the bespectacled bluenette rode on her dragon as it performed a series of impressive aerial acrobatics. Maybe I should've used TaJaDol instead but I had done my performance and I think I made quite an impression on the judges, Headmaster Osmond and Princess Henrietta especially. Louise fidgeted next to me, nervous about the results of the competition. Since this was a talent show then the winner would be the Familiar with the most impressive performance. I think I did well, but even I wasn't sure I would be able to pull the same moves as Sylphid.<p>

Louise was still babbling like a little girl as we waited for the remaining students to finish their performances and the judges to make their final decision. So to help her calm down and so I could try and get the lead our of my joints, we started strolling along the grounds for some fresh air. We were of course by ourselves since everyone else was at the Exhibition, but that was just a bonus in my book since I didn't want to deal with any more nobles staring at me after my performance for a while and Louise probably would have offended someone with the way she was gushing about how the act went.

"And the Princess was so impressed!" she squealed. "I could see it all the way from the stage! What you did was way more impressive than anything Kirche or the others did!"

"Now all we have to worry about is Tabitha," I nodded tiredly. "She's the one with a dragon after all."

"Bah, everyone's seen dragons before," Louise scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. "You're one of a kind! No one's done the kind of things I've seen you do! Between rare and one of a kind, one of a kind always wins! We're a shoe in!"

"I dunno. I am only human after all," I reminded her. I really didn't want to rain down on her parade since this was likely the first time she had something to do with magic one could call a positive experience. I just wanted her to remember that Tabitha's dragon was nothing to scoff at.

"A human with magic that only an ancient king wielded 800 years ago!" Louise grinned. "Not even a dragon can top that!"

I had to admit that ancient magic usually had a habit of topping dragons in terms of coolness. Well, it did where I came from anyway. I just hoped that Henrietta and Osmond plus whoever else was judging the Familiars thought the same thing.

As we walked into another section of the courtyard surrounding the castle, I noticed a shadow fall over us. Louise apparently didn't notice as she kept babbling about what she'd do with the prize and what it might be. I however, did take account that something big was blocking the sun on a day where there were no clouds in the sky. Looking up, I felt my eyes bulge while my heart sank when I saw that staring down at us was a huge rock creature that was at least one hundred feet tall. Spiked manacles made of rock were around its wrists while its legs with trunk-like. It didn't have a head, but instead eyes in some kind of hole that was visible near the top of its torso.

"Uhh…Louise, please tell me that someone in the school has a rock giant as a Familiar," I spoke, still staring at the beast.

"What?" Louise blinked in confusion. It was then that she finally took notice of the giant shadow which was covering us and what was casting it. Her eyes widened in sheer shock at the massive creature as her face paled, "Great Founder!"

"Hmm? It seems some witnesses found me," a female voice suddenly spoke up. Up on top of the golem's shoulder there was movement which alerted us to someone else being there. It was indeed a woman, but she was wearing a green dress with a dark bodice overtop of it. She was also wearing a black cloak which hid her face but she did have long green hair that spilled out from the sides.

"It looks like you two are out of luck today," the woman chuckled darkly before snapping her fingers, "Golem!"

The giant construct went active and quickly reached for the two of us. Louise froze, and I really don't blame her for doing that. I however, knew that unless we did something, we were going to get pounded into paste. Acting quickly, I grabbed Louise by the arm and began to pull her away, "Move!"

"Wha-? Hey!"

I didn't let Louise argue as I pulled her towards one of the three stone walls which decorated the courtyards of the school and separated it into sections of a pentagon. Bringing her to the passage through the wall, I finally stopped pulling her and set her in front of me, "Louise, go get the teachers, the guards, or anybody who can help stop this thing! I'll try to hold it off!"

What?-!" Louise gaped. "But-!"

"Hey, my armour can fight big things like this too," I told her, "It just takes the right combination."

Not waiting for her to argue, I turned and headed back towards the golem. It was recovering from the failed reach, but it was still somewhat slow like I expected a golem would be. Still, there was no way I could call this fight easy unless I was to suddenly grow to match it's height, "Well Derflinger, looks like its time to see how well we work together."

"Ready, willing, and able Partner," the sword replied, sounding serious for a change.

"Good. Then it's time for a quick change," I nodded. Reaching into my pocket, I grabbed the O-Driver and strapped it to my waist. Next came the O-Medal Holder as I quickly shuffled through it for a good set. Tora and Batta were a given, but when I got a good look at the golem, I noticed that it wasn't made out of rock like I had first thought. Instead, it seemed like it was instead made out of dirt more than anything else. With that in mind, I grabbed a blue Medal instead of the usual red one. Taking the Medals, I slipped them into position and locked the buckle. I then took the O-Scanner and swiped it across the Driver, "Henshin!"

"**SHACHI!**"

"**TORA!**"

"**BATTA!**"

The Shachi Medal, representing an orca, donned me in a dark blue helmet with yellow eyes, white lightning bolts under those eyes, small fins on either side of my jaw, and a black faceplate. The top part of the helmet was pointed forwards and there was a fin on top. The Shachi Medal emblem also occupied the top part of the crest which had the Tora and Batta in their respective places.

"Woah! Check me out!" I heard Derflinger cry out in surprise.

Well, since I was going to draw him anyway I gripped his handle and pulled to remove him from his sheathe. However, I heard snaps like a pair of locks coming undone instead before I pulled my sword into view. What I was expecting was to see a somewhat rusted sword which would be at least a little help in the battle. I didn't get that though. What I got instead was a brand new Medajalibur! Oh, he wasn't an exact copy of the blade though. Derflinger was just as long as his original form, but he looked like a Medajalibur in all but length. Even better though, he was sharp and completely free of rust!

"Wow! Your magic is something else Partner!" the sword laughed. The handle which would be used to lock Cell Medals into the sword to scan was moving like a mouthpiece. "I even have a mouth now! I can swallow things! Awesome!"

"Good for you," I muttered. "Now let's focus on the giant golem who looks ready to crush us, shall we?"

"Right!"

The woman on the golem's shoulder didn't seem too impressed at my transformation, although she didn't seem as confident as before either. I guess that was something. Rather than say anything though, she snapped her fingers again, prompting the golem into motion. Once again, it began reaching down towards me with the intent of crushing me.

"Not today buddy!" I retorted, inhaling as I heard an orca's cry echo in my ears while my Shachi emblem flashed blue. As the golem's hand drew closer, I unleashed my breath which was instead a highly pressurized stream of water. The golem was definitely unable to dodge the blast so its hand took the majority of the blow. A large chunk of it was blasted out by the pressure alone while the rest began turning dark from the water soaking into it.

"Tsk!" the woman gritted her teeth in annoyance. "Crush him!"

The golem of course obeyed and pushed to grab me with its soaked hand. I did notice that the reflexes in that hand though seemed more sluggish than the rest of its body was. Still, I wasn't there to analyze golems, I was there to destroy one. The muddy hand drew closer and I gripped Derflinger tightly before unleashing the strongest swing I could once it was close enough. The blade cut through the muddy digits easily, severing them from the rest of the hand before they dropped to the ground in piles of inert mud.

"Hey Partner! We make a pretty good team!" Derflinger commented. "Seems like that woman is a solid Earth Mage. She can't control mud nearly as well as she can dry dirt. If you soak that thing down enough then she won't be able to use it anymore!"

"Sounds good to me Aibou," I nodded. "Let's hose this thing down!"

Inhaling again, I spewed out more water from my Shachi Head. This time it was aimed at the golem's legs. They weren't nearly as thick as the thing's arms and no doubt would buckle under the massive weight the thing has in the rest of its body. The woman scowled and snapped her fingers, prompting the golem to start throwing punches at me to try and crush me. Luckily, the Batta Legs went into effect and allowed me to leap good distances away from the impact points and allow me to keep soaking the construct's legs. The two pillars of dirt grew darker and darker as more and more water was pumped into them and I noticed mud running into the grass quite rapidly, indicating that the woman was beginning to lose control over her golem's body in terms of composition.

"We're almost there partner!" Derflinger cheered.

"Then let's cut to the chase!" I nodded, wanting to finish things. Coiling my enhanced leg muscles, I leaped towards the golem with my sword raised, ready to cut through them completely and knock the thing to the ground.

"Overconfidence can get you killed you know," the woman spoke, no longer looking angered, but smirking. At first I wasn't too sure what she was looking so confident when I was about to cut her golem's feet out from under it. However, that was when the ground bulged before a smaller version of the golem's fist burst from it, right into my face.

**WHAM!**

I discovered that day that it was possible to see stars if you get punched hard enough and being clobbered by a compressed soil fist certainly qualified. The impact sent me head over heels since I had been running towards the golem when I was hit. I landed on the dirt with a grunt, colours swirling in front of my eyes as I tried to remember what I was doing before the painful psychedelic trip. Shaking my head, I managed to clear my eyes enough to see properly.

But I almost wished I hadn't.

The golem had managed to step over to me despite the mud falling from it soaked legs and had its good fist raised above its head, ready to crush me. On its shoulder, the woman was still smirking as she raised her hand in preparation of making the order to kill me. Suddenly, I regretted not picking the Cheetah Medal to use instead of the Batta Medal in this situation. The woman chuckled as she placed her fingers, ready to snap them…

"_Fireball!_"

Quite suddenly, part of the golem's shoulder erupted in a flameless explosion which the tower behind it promptly went up like a nitro bomb had gone off. The golem stumbled from the impact and the force of the explosion behind it, giving me time to get back to my feet. An opportunity I took by jumping up and dashing towards where I had knew the voice had come from. A voice I knew very well.

A voice belonging to a pink-haired magician who saw me as her Familiar.

She was standing at the wall where I left her, and very much alone. It made my heart sink to see that since despite having seen OOO take on Yummies in the series, I wasn't sure if I was quite up that level yet and having some backup in this kind of situation would have been very much appreciated; backup preferably coming from adult magic-users who likely knew a whole list of spells that would come in handy in fighting giant golems.

"Louise!" I shouted, running over to the shorter girl. "What are you doing? I told you to get help!"

"That's a fine way to thank your master for saving your life!" the pinkette frowned, gripping her wand.

"I'll thank you later! Right now we have to stop this woman and her little toy!" I retorted, gesturing behind me at the woman and the golem.

**BOOM!**

The sounds of destruction echoed through the air, causing me and Louise to forget our argument to see what had occurred. It seemed the woman and her golem had forgotten about us and seemed had turned her focus on the tower. Her golem had punched the tower and broke through the wall which Louise had damaged with her missed spell. The vertette had then dashed down the golem's arm and ducked inside the tower through the hole the dirt fist had created.

"Damn!" I hissed, dashing towards the battle once again. I couldn't let her get what she was after! I looked at the golem. Maybe if I took it down it would leave her at a disadvantage…

That's it! I glanced at Derflinger. If he looked like the Medajalibur, then maybe he could function like it as well. I decided to take the chance and opened up the Medal holder located on the left side of my belt. I pulled out three Cell Medals and said to Derflinger, "OK, Aibou, it's time for a snack." I put the first Cell Medal into the opening which was Derflinger's 'mouth.'

"**GULP!"**

Whaddya know? It worked. Then I put in the second and third Cell Medal. Rather than making a chiming noise like the original Medajalibur, he made a gulping noise like the Medagabryu. Then again, it was his mouth I was putting the things into. It makes sense he would be making gulping noises.

"**GULP!"**

"**GULP!"**

"OK, thanks for the snack, but what was that for?" Derflinger asked as I gripped the O-Scanner. Just by speaking, the Cell Medals I fed him were deposited into the viewing window which I could use to activate their power.

"Get ready for a boost!" I said to my enchanted sword as I ran the device up his blade.

"**TRIPLE SCANNING CHARGE!"**

The O-Scanner had called and began charging the Cell Medals inside Derflinger, which caused a shining aura to glow from him. I looked to the golem and drew my arm back before giving it a swing. "SEE-YAH!"

My attack unleashed a slash of pure power which cut through the air, the golem, and even the castle behind it. A line of white energy bisected everything in front of me at a diagonal angle. As the line was set, everything began sliding down the angle with a loud grinding noise. The golem and the castle both were cut cleanly by the strike. The golem's head, and solid arm began sliding along with the majority of the tower it had punched into.

"Wha-Wha-Wha-WHAT!-?-!" Louise screamed out, no doubt her jaw dropping by what she was seeing. I had just cut through not only the golem, but the whole damn castle too. Seeing it in person rather than on a computer screen was pretty damn cool.

The castle and golem sections stopped sliding, looking like gravity should have taken hold and made them fall but instead they seemed to defy gravity. As the sections of golem and castle were hanging in their limbo, I spotted the vertette woman dashing out of the hole her golem made with what looked like a long case in her arms. She stumbled slightly, noticing just what I had done with my sword but she kept running.

"Oh no you don't!" I frowned, charging towards the woman and her golem. However, I couldn't make it very far before the castle quite suddenly corrected itself as the displaced pieces reconnected themselves to the base, becoming one solid building again. The golem on the other hand was not so lucky and vanished within a giant explosion.

**BUH-WOOM!**

The force of the explosion knocked myself and Louise clean off of our feet with chunks of dirt flying in all directions. I skidded across the dirt before shielding my face out of sheer reflex to keep the dirt out of my face despite wearing a helmet. The dirt showered down for a couple of seconds, covering everything in a fine layer of dust and debris. After a moment of waiting for anything else to happen, I got to my feet. The castle was fine and just about everything in the immediate area was covered in dirt.

"Impressive," I heard the woman's voice call out. I began looking around, but saw no one besides Louise and what appeared to be a group of soldiers and the teachers running towards the area. What the hell took them so long? Was there a silence spell around this spot? I lost my thoughts when the woman continued speaking. "Your abilities are as impressive as legends say Gandalfr. Remember this day as when you almost defeated Foquet the Crumbling Dirt."

"Foquet…" I muttered, committing the name to memory. I had a feeling we'd be seeing each other again. Right now, I had other things to deal with.

* * *

><p>Louise and I were really put on the spot by the castle guards as well as Henrietta's escorts, demanding to know exactly what had happened. The guards were all in a frenzy and the teachers were panicking over what had occurred, especially with the princess herself nearby. Many of the teachers were running around like turkeys, trying to find someone to blame over how Foquet managed to get inside the castle. They wouldn't stop sending me dirty looks until I removed my armour, changing myself and Derflinger back to normal.<p>

"So how high in class would one have to be to make a golem that big?" I asked Louise as we stood among the students who were watching the adults mill about and examine the damage the battle had done.

"At least Triangle Class," Louise answered, her face etched in a deep frown. "We just can't let this situation stand."

Before I could ask what was going in that head of hers, we were alerted to the sounds of metal clanging against metal, the armour of the knights escorting Henrietta. Turning, we saw both the knights and Henrietta approaching with the princess looking most distressed. She had her dress hiked up so she could run, and run she did when she spotted her friend amongst the others in the crowd.

"Louise Francoise!" she gasped, dashing towards us.

"Your Highness," Louise gasped. Immediately, she got down on one knee with her head bowed respectfully. "Please forgive me. I was not able to prevent the brazen attack of this thief."

"Louise Francoise, this wasn't your responsibility," Henrietta smiled softly, drifting to her knees so that she could look at eye level with her friend. "I am simply relieved to hear that you are safe. When we saw the castle being cut, we were all afraid this was part of a major offence."

I immediately found the hole in the castle very interesting at this point.

"My Familiar proved himself most capable," Louise nodded. "Were it not for Foquet's underhanded tactics, we would have defeated her."

"Then it seems I owe Mr. MacGregor my thanks for protecting my friend," Henrietta nodded before she turned her radiant smile towards me. "Thank you so much."

I smiled and accepted Henrietta's thanks casually, "There's no need to thank me, Your Highness. I would've done it for any of my friends."

Louise looked to me, "Friend?"

"We might've started out on the wrong foot, but why not?" After all, Eiji and Ankh's friendship had started on a rocky foundation too. Louise, while human, was like Ankh too, in the haughty and desperate way. "We might as well be friends, even if I'm just a Familiar to you."

Louise flushed slightly at the words. She seemed a little torn between being proper and admonish me for being so casual with her and smiling over the fact that she indeed did have a friend after all besides Henrietta. I didn't need to be overly emphatic to see that Louise didn't have too many friends in school beyond the few common people who always talked to her. Of course, when people talked to her it was usually to tease her about her magical ability. At least I was one less thing they could tease her about. I had taken down a hundred foot golem for crying out loud.

"Princess," one of the knights interjected. "We really must be going."

"I understand," Henrietta sighed. She then turned her attention back to Louise and me, "I must return to report this to the palace. We will meet again soon Louise Francoise, Mr. MacGregor."

Standing up, Henrietta let her knights guide her to where her carriage was waiting for her. I could tell Louise was missing her already just from the look in her eyes. Before Henrietta entered her carriage though, she turned back and smiled and the two of us, "I suppose in a way it is fortunate that the Exhibition was interrupted. I was having a most difficult time deciding on either Miss Tabitha's dragon or your knight to win the prize."

With a wave Henrietta entered her carriage and let her knights prepare to leave, leaving Louise to gape and myself stroking my ego.

* * *

><p>"How did you split the castle in half?" Louise half-asked, half demanded of me. We were back in her room, decompressing after everything had happened. Louise was in her nightgown, trying to calm herself with some tea. I was laying on my 'bed', ready to conk out from all of the fighting and strain I put on myself. My hands were resting behind my head and my eyes were closed. Derflinger was sitting in a chair at the table with Louise, apparently enjoying the scent of Louise's tea even though he didn't even have a nose. The day had been a long one, what with the Exhibition Festival and the thief from earlier. Also, according to the princess, we practically tied with Tabitha and her dragon.<p>

"I guess when I transformed so did Derflinger," I said to Louise.

"Partner just fed me some of his Medals and then…SLASH!" Derflinger exclaimed. "That was some really fancy magic."

"Actually, I just did the swinging. That was you and the Cell Medals, Aibou" I said to Derflinger.

Louise looked to the pot. She knew that the Cell Medals were capable of creating Yummy but she had not known they could give a sword like Derflinger to split a tower. What was odd that only the golem had been destroyed while the tower didn't seem to have suffered any damage from being split in half. It had actually restored itself. The only visible damage was the hole made by Foquet when she broke into it.

"I know you told me the story behind those coins, but seeing them in action still makes my head hurt," Louise sighed, taking a dignified sip of her drink. "It is unfortunate that you weren't able to stop Foquet from claiming whatever it was she stole."

"Tried to," I sighed. "But after I destroyed her golem she must have used the curtains of dirt and stuff to hide her escape. It was probably the perfect way to get out since she's an Earth-Mage who specializes in soil-based spells if her name is anything to go by."

"Mn," Louise agreed. "I just hope that we'll be able to stop her before she gets away completely."

"Well, the headmaster still has to grill us for our side of the story," I shrugged. "I'd prefer if I got a full night of sleep before I got interrogated though. After all of the fighting I did today and use a Full Combo, I'm bushed."

"Go to sleep then," Louise looked over her shoulder. I could have sworn a proud smile was on her face, but her hair was hiding it. "You've earned it tonight."

"Thanks," I chuckled. I rolled over and tucked my head away from the light source in the room. "Good night, Louise."

"Good night, Matthew," said Louise.

"Rest well, Partner," said Derflinger.

* * *

><p>AN: Well, chapter 4 is up and about. A bit of action in this chapter and progress is the storyline. Hope you guys enjoy it.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Kamen Rider OOO or Familiar of ZerOOO. I am only writing this for fun and not for rpofit. If you don't like the story, then don't read it. I cartaintly can't make you do otherwise.

**Familiar of ZerOOO**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**CHAPTER 5: The Staff of Destruction, the Gravity Combo, & the Ball**

It was the day after when Louise and I were brought to the headmaster's office where Headmaster Osmond, Prof. Colbert, Ms. Longueville, and some of the other teachers decided to question us about our involvement with the Foquet incident. With us were Kirche and Tabitha. It turned out that Tabitha had flown to the area of the incident on Sylphid's back so to assist, but didn't see fit after I sliced the golem with the OOO Bash. So, she was a credible witness to everything that happened. Kirche had just come since Prof. Colbert had gotten us out of study hall and she decided it seemed interesting enough to follow.

I was only really half-listening since entering the office. I had slept like a rock the previous night since I had been exhausted both by the fight and by transforming into the BuraKaWani Combo for the Exhibition. I had still been pretty out of it when Louise dragged me to Study Hall with her. I hadn't even been paying attention while Kirche sat enticingly on the desk in front of me while she fed me fresh fruit from her home country of Germania. I've gotta be honest though, they knew how to grow fruit there. In more ways than one if the redhead was any indication.

Miss Longueville quickly began the meeting by giving a report on her own efforts into finding Foquet, "According to information I was able to acquire from people in town, there has been a suspicious figure going in and out of an abandoned hut in the woods." She then reached into her cloak and retrieved a small scroll. "Based on their testimonies, I was able to create a composite sketch."

Taking the sketch, Osmond opened it to examine the image. After a moment, he turned it to use, "Is this the one you saw yesterday?"

We leaned in to get a look at Longueville's sketch. I had to admit, it was a startling likeness. Louise of course said as much with Tabitha nodding next to her, "That's Foquet. No mistake about it."

"Then we should report this to the palace," suggested Prof. Colbert. "They will be able to dispatch the knights straight away."

"But if we wait then we risk Foquet getting away," Osmond retorted, his eyes narrowed. "No, we will reclaim the Staff of Destruction and the honour of this academy with out own hands." He looked around the room to his fellow educators. "Those who wish to volunteer, raise their wands."

The room went silent as the other educators in the room started shifting their gazes and refuse to meet the headmaster's eyes. I really shouldn't have been surprised to be honest. I didn't mean to be rude, but all of the magic-capable adults in the building were educators, not soldiers. They were probably capable of the offensive spells, but how much experience could they really have in the field of battle?

"Come now," Osmond frowned. "Aren't there any nobles in the room who wish to claim the fame and prestige of capturing an infamous thief like Foquet?"

Despite the ribbing, no one in the room seemed to rise to the bait for their pride. Things were silent for only a moment more before I decided that it was time I stop being the wall ornament and start stepping up. I took on Foquet before and managed to hold my own. Hell, I took down her golem with some effort. Still, I wasn't sure if they would take my intention to find Foquet seriously, but I had to make my opinion. Reaching over my shoulder, I grabbed Derflinger and unsheathed him before raising him into the air in all his rusted glory.

I wasn't alone.

In front of me, Louise had raised her wand for everyone to see. Her face was resolute and determined, that same face I would see whenever she started getting stubborn about something. Trying to get her to back out of this would be useless.

"I'll go!" she announced, cementing her decision.

"Me too," I echoed, gripping the rusty Derflinger.

"Ms. Valliere," Prof. Colbert spoke out, everyone else being unable to speak.

"I'll go as well," Kirche added, raising her own wand.

"Zerbst?" Louise blinked, looking to hr redheaded archrival.

"Don't get me wrong," Kirche commented, glancing at Louise. "I just don't want to lose to a Valliere." Louise was about to give back a no doubt scathing retort which I no doubt would have to get in the middle of in order to keep something from blowing up literally. Thankfully, someone else did that for me by stunning her. "T-Tabitha?"

We looked over to where the bluenette was standing and indeed she had raised her staff up to show her own intent to volunteer for the mission. The quiet girl could tell that all three of us were surprised. Heck, I had never really pegged her as someone who would get into the thick of things. Then again, she had fired that ice spell of hers at the Hawk Yummy during its little rampage in the school. Maybe there was more to her than her bookworm appearance.

"Tabitha, you don't have to…" Kirche trailed off, apparently thinking along the same lines I was.

"Worried about you two," she murmured, bringing smiles to both girls.

Osmond watched all four of volunteering for the quite obviously dangerous mission. Several of the teachers were struck speechless by what amounted to school kids volunteering for a mission that usually trained professionals would usually be assigned to. Colbert probably looked like he had aged a little bit as he watched us volunteer, like he had seen people our age volunteer for dangerous missions before.

"Well then, we'll leave this to you then," Osmond nodded, letting us lower or implements. "I think we couldn't have asked for a better team." He gestured to Tabitha. "Despite her young age, Miss Tabitha already has been bestowed with the knight title of Chevalier for her bravery in the past."

"A knight?-!" Louise gaped.

"S-Seriously Tabitha?" Kirche sputtered.

Tabitha merely nodded and I had to withhold a whistle to show how impressed I was. Out of curiosity one day, I had asked Siesta about the different kinds of nobility to see if they were in fact any variations to it or not. She didn't know all of them, but she did know what a Chevalier was. Basically, it was a title bestowed on those who had accomplished a noble deed for the monarchy. Usually it was something akin to completing an important and/or dangerous request for the government, doing something heroic, or something along those lines. It was also important to know that the title couldn't be bought or given about freely. It had to be earned. That alone said a lot about Tabitha's fortitude.

"And Miss Zerbst is from one of the most prominent military families in Germania," Osmond continued, turning to gesture at Kirche, who seemed to glow under the praise. "And I've been told that she is quite proficient with her flames."

"Hmm," the redhead purred under the attention.

"And lastly…" Osmond trailed off as he turned to Louise. I could already guess he would be having trouble coming up with something for Louise that wasn't connected to me. "Well…she's the latest in a long line of Vallieres which have produced outstanding magi in the past. And…uh…she has a bright future." Louise's proud stance shifted slightly as the aged headmaster seemed to be having difficulty complimenting her skills. As mean is it was, I had to struggle not to laugh at the scene.

My struggles seemed to catch the man's attention, giving him a way out, "Oh! That's right! Her Familiar is the inheritor of a magic spanning 800 years and has always been in the hands of kings if I've heard the rumours right. He's been putting it to good use, trouncing Marshal Gramont's son Guiche in a duel, destroying a monster which invaded our campus, and even destroyed Foquet's golem while it was invading the school."

Louise stiffened as the headmaster explained my exploits and she didn't look pleased. As if her joints were covered in rust, she turned her head to stare at me. I couldn't help but shiver at the sight of her narrowed eyes glaring at me. In opposite direction, Kirche was gazing at me with a smoky look in her eyes and red on her cheeks. Tabitha just glanced at me neutrally, which was actually more of the relief than anything else.

"Ah, that's right!" Colbert noted, apparently remembering something. "He's the legendary Gan-!" what he was going to say was cut off as he remembered something and stopped himself.

Gan-something? I recalled Foquet calling me something that sounded like that. I think it was…Gandalfr? I had thought it was perhaps a word that the people had for things they didn't like, but apparently it may have had a more of a serious meaning than I initially thought. It seemed that Colbert may have figured out what the runes on my hand meant and just hadn't mentioned it to me or Louise just yet. I'd have to ask him later.

* * *

><p>Ms. Longueville volunteered to guide us to where Foquet was hiding out, driving the horse-drawn wagon as I sat between Louise and Kirche, the latter pressing herself rather closely to my side so I could feel her…assets. Louise was sending dirty looks at Kirche for her flirting and at me for not telling the redhead to take a hike. As for Tabitha, she sat across from me whilst reading a book. I always saw her reading and I wondered what kind of books she liked. She did have the typical appearance of the anime bookworm. One called Yuki Nagato from the Haruhi Suzumiya series came to mind. That girl was rather introverted, kinda like Tabitha.<p>

According to witness statements, Foquet was seen fleeing into this forest. Well, that made things easier. Rather convenient too but I guess they used some kind of magic to pinpoint her location. In any case, once we caught up with her I'd be ready. I already had a Medal which was elementally opposed to Foquet's magic so I would have to keep it in mind for strategic purposes. While we were calmly riding along, I decided to try and pick my weapons beforehand. Pulling out my Medal Book, I opened up to reveal my Medals. Kirche immediately took notice as she peered over my shoulder. "You've got quite the collection, Darling," she commented

"I know, and it wasn't easy to track each of them down," I nodded.

"But you said you got them at a shop," said Louise.

"I got the O-Driver and a few Core Medals from a shop," I corrected. "I had to search high and low for the other Cores. It took a really long time." Trying to find the right type of people who wouldn't scam me online wasn't at all easy. I had to go through pages of online shopping sites for the Medals. I didn't want those cheap gatchapon ones which had the microchips inside that could be easily seen. I wanted the ones which were part of play sets and looked more like actual Medals than the other ones.

Kirche's eyes went towards my set of red Core Medals. Maybe she could sense that they represented not only birds but the element of fire. Smiling, she rested her chin on my shoulder, "You were really impressive yesterday, Darling." She cooed as she ran her finger across the red Cores seductively.

I wonder if Ankh could feel that if his consciousness was in those Medals?

"Thanks," I replied, "Even the princess said I tied with Tabitha."

"Matthew," Louise interrupted, apparently keeping Kirche from buttering me up too much to concentrate on the reason why we were heading towards a criminal's hut. "What do you plan on doing once we catch up to Foquet?"

"I guess we capture her," I shrugged. Thinking about Foquet though, I suddenly remembered Quinn and something that had been on the back of my mind since I began thinking properly about yesterday. Seeing no harm in it, I inquired, "Say, if Foquet can use magic, does that mean she used to be a noble too?"

"Most likely yes. She probably lost her title for some reason." said Ms. Longueville, keeping her eyes on the road in front of us. "Some nobles end up losing their titles for various reasons. Many end up pursuing careers as criminals or mercenaries, selling their skills to the highest bidder or committing many offences just to fill their coffers."

That made sense. Use their magic to make a living somehow. It really was a harsh world out there, even if you had magic. Magic may mark one as a noble but even that didn't seem to last for some of them. Many of them probably ran away from bad family situations like Quinn had done, or were cast out due to some horrible dishonour they did to those family names. I had to admit though, in terms of mercenaries, one couldn't do much better than a magic-capable one. They were likely more expensive, but likely very worth it.

"Well, it's good that we have Darling with us then," Kirche purred, giving an extra bounce to her breasts against my chests. An action that made Louise grit her teeth while I struggled to maintain my reserve and not turn into a hornball like the guys Kirche was so used to snagging. To be honest, fighting Foquet seemed like a much easier task in comparison. "He managed to destroy her golem easily from what I heard."

"I wouldn't call it easy," I sighed, trying to slowly back away so I could think clearly without Kirche trying to invade my lap again. "Even though I know how to beat it, she knows how I can beat it too and will likely know what to look for."

"Hm? Really?" asked Kirche.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I wasn't exactly subtle when I fought her. I do know that she's a straight up Earth Mage, meaning she can't cross elements like say Tabitha can to create ice," I explained, gesturing the bluenette. "I managed to use a Medal which allowed me to shoot highly pressurized water to soak parts of the golem. Any part of it that was mud moved way slower than the simple dirt parts or simply fell off, meaning she can't combine different elements. It's earth or nothing."

"Smart," Tabitha commented.

"Thanks," I nodded, happy to receive a compliment from the girl. She rarely talked as it was. "The problem is that she knows what my armour looks like when I activate that power and she also knows what my sword looks like. So if we do fight, she's going to recognize the signs of me trying to use those attacks against her and have the golem react accordingly."

"That's a good insight," Louise commented, for once not focusing on how Kirche was trying to attach herself to me by the hip. "What makes you so sure though?"

"It's happened to me in the past," I answered. I wasn't lying about that either. In multiplayer games I've played in the past I've gotten my ass destroyed when after I figured out a good strategy, the others started recognizing the signs of me using that strategy and work around it before killing me. Okay, maybe this was a little more serious than a simple game, but I figured if a couch potato could figure out a strategy like that, a woman who made a living by outwitting and outmanoeuvring trained soldiers would have figured it out long ago.

"Oh, so experienced," Kirche commented, making the biggest innuendo I have ever heard as she ran her finger up and down my arm. Either she was really bored with our travel arrangements or she was really turned on by how I was talking about fights. With this woman, it was hard to tell the difference.

Including Core Medals, I kept some Cell Medals on hand just in case now that I had a sizable supply of them. After learning that Derflinger was compatible with them, it was a good idea to keep an emergency supply on me. Riding in the wagon, I sighed. I really wished I had access to the things like the Candroids and Ride Vendor. Those would make things easier, plus they were cool. I could picture myself riding the Ride Vendor along a bridge made up of Tako Candroids.

My thoughts were halted when Ms. Lougueville stopped the wagon. "Alright, this is it," she said. "She's hiding out here." Glancing over the side of the wagon we were all riding in, I spotted a log cabin. That was her hideout? It was a single room cabin that looked like it had seen better days. For lack of a better term it seemed, well, deserted but then again maybe that dissuaded people from snooping about. Also, Fouquet was an Earth Mage so she likely had some well hidden magical traps.

It wouldn't have surprised me if she did. According to Osmond, Foquet had stolen something called the Staff of Destruction. Apparently it was some one of a kind magical artefact which was considered priceless. The name alone made me concerned about it being in the possession of someone like Foquet, never mind whatever psycho she would be willing to sell it to for her own ends.

"I'm going in first," I volunteered as I hopped off the wagon. Derflinger was on my back and out of all of us; I probably had the best chance of coming back alive if it came to blows with The Crumbling Dirt.

"I'm coming too," insisted Louise, following me off the back of the wagon.

I glanced at the pinkette before I nodded. That would actually be a good idea. Pulling out my Medal Book, I opened it and pulled out the Shachi, Tora, and Cheetah Medals to use in the upcoming conflict. Pocketing the three, I passed the book back to Louise in case I needed to swap out any Medals, "Just stick close and run when I tell you to."

"Right," Louise nodded, taking the book into her hands.

"We're coming as well," Kirche announced, following me and Louise with Tabitha walking alongside her. Ms. Longueville brought up the rear, having gone to hide the wagon in case someone was around to alert Foquet. Being the only one capable of physical battle I went first so to scope out the cabin to see if anyone was home or not. So I slipped up next to the window to the lace and peered inside. Inside the cabin was empty save for some basic furniture, a fireplace, and some bottles all covered in dust.

"It's empty!" I called back to my allies.

The girls all approached, trying to not be too loud in case there was some kind of alarm. Tabitha approached the front door of the cabin and began waving her staff. At first I was confused as to what she was doing, but I got my answer when she turned back and softly announced, "No traps."

Statement made, the bluenette calmly opened the door and walked inside. Kirche and I both followed, just in case something happened. Louise volunteered to keep watch outside while Ms. Longueville went to scout around to make sure Foquet didn't return or perhaps find a clue as to where the thief was. The rest of us entered the cabin to find the Staff of Destruction. I almost sneezed due to the amount of dust in the dingy place, which made me wonder slightly if someone really was hiding out there. I mean, it looked like there hadn't been anyone there since the cabin had been abandoned.

Tabitha didn't say a word as she calmly strode across the room to begin searching the one dresser set and the chest next to it. Only after a moment, she opened the chest and went on her knees to examine it.

"Did you find anything Tabitha?" asked Kirche.

After a moment, the bluenette stood up holding a lacquered black box with an elaborate silver symbol etched onto its lid, "Staff of Destruction."

"Eh?-!" Kirche gaped.

"Well…that makes things simple," I chuckled weakly. "Now all we need to do is find Foquet."

"EEEEYYYAAAHHHHHH!"

***BOOM!***

The roof of the cabin was suddenly torn off in a shower of dirt and pieces of wood. The sudden brightness of the sky made me flinch, but my eyes quickly adjusted to it. Standing in view, dropping what remained of the roof, was Foquet's dirt golem. While it wasn't as big, roughly the size of a medium-sized house, it was just as imposing it was the last time.

"The next time I think something is too easy, just kick me in the head real hard," I groaned. I really should have seen this coming.

"Both of you get back!" I called to Kirche and Tabitha as I strapped the O-Driver to my waist. I didn't want them getting hurt by the field my armour would make when it was summoned. I was just about to insert my Medals into the O-Driver when a fist of soil came down at me. I yelped and leapt to the side, hitting the wood floor hard with Tabitha and Kirche doing the same. As I hit the ground though, the three Core Medals fell from my hand and landed underneath the single bed. "Dammit!" I cursed. Without my Core Medals, I was as powerless as a normal human. Another fist came down at us and we had to struggle to get out of the way. We managed to do just that despite the rest of the cabin getting flattened.

God I hope none of the Medals got crushed. It's not like I could get more!

"Matthew!"

I looked towards Louise who was clutching my Medal Book, thankfully the golem was apparently ignoring her in favour of us. That was just perfect in this case. It was time to forget any kind of strategy and bring the hammer down! "Louise!" I called out to her. "The grey Medal Combo set! Hurry!"

Louise could understand the gravity of the situation and bit her tongue before she could retort about her Familiar yelling orders at her. She opened the Medal Book, flipping the pages until she came upon the grey Core Medals. I had the Combo sets aligned vertically in their respective order. She quickly took them out and clenched them in her fist. "Catch!" she called as she tossed the three Medals towards me and I deftly caught them in my hand. I gripped them tightly as I saw the golem turn towards me. I didn't waste any time and began slotting in the three Core Medals before grasping my O-Scanner.

"Henshin!" I called as I swiped the Scanner across the Core Medals which pulsed with energy and then chimed as they were scanned.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>SAI!"<strong>_

"_**GORILLA!"**_

"_**ZOU!"**_

_The girls watched as three grey Medals aligned vertically in front of Matthew before combining into a composite crest which collided with his chest._

"_**SAGOZO…" **__This was followed by a short drumbeat before finishing loudly with,__** "SAGOZO!"**_

_Louise, Tabitha, and Kirche had all seen Matthew use the grey Medals as parts of other combinations before. They just hadn't seen him use all three together inside a Full Combo before. As soon as the change was complete and the armour had formed, Matthew had unleashed a powerful bellow._

"_!-!-!-!"_

_The grey armoured warrior began pounding his chest with his Gorilla Arms, making echoing booming noises which sounded like thunder. Each impact brought out a shockwave of grey power which passed over the area. The raw unrestrained power that was obviously flowing through his limbs was certainly a sight to see. It felt like he could take the golem apart with his bare hands._

"_So manly!" Kirche cooed, watching Matthew, or rather OOO go through his primal yelling._

"_Not the time, Zerbst!" Louise shouted angrily._

_OOO continued to beat his chest, sending out more and more grey energy waves all through the area. At first glance it would look like he had been simply beating his chest and yelling like a loon. However, Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha quickly began feeling the effects as if the air itself was growing quite heavy. Louse felt like rocks were appearing on her shoulders and pushing down on her. Kirche's legs were beginning to buckle like she was struggling to stand. Tabitha was clutching her staff and seemed like she was having the hardest time standing._

_The golem on the other hand seemed to be buckling slightly and cracking noises could be heard coming from certain portions of its body. One of the spikes which made up its manacles even cracked and fell off, hitting the ground like a falling rock rather than a pile of dirt._

"_What's…happening?" Kirche grit her teeth, trying not to collapse._

"_I…don't know!" Louise hissed, feeling her muscles scream._

"…_gravity," Tabitha mumbled._

_Louise's eyes widened when she heard Tabitha's word. Matthew had told her that using a Full Combo afforded him extra abilities. However, she never would have guessed that he could do something like control gravity!_

_Just how powerful were the Core Medals?_

* * *

><p>Meanies!<p>

MEANIES!

MEEEAAANIEEEEES!-!-!

That stupid dirt thingie was trying to hurt my friends! I didn't like that! They were my friends! Little Louise! Cutie Tabitha! Pretty Kirche! They were my friends and no one was going to hurt them! I was going to crush that mean dirt thing! Then I was going to crush the mean dirt lady who made it!

I pointed my arms and fired my big fists and they flew like rockets. They hit the dirt thingie and there was a loud boom! That was fun! I really liked explosions. The smoke got out of the way and I saw that I put a big hole in it! Ha ha ha! It looked like it had a really big mouth now!

The dirt thingie must have gotten really mad because it tried to punch me. It was really slow because I yelled a lot and made the air real heavy so it couldn't move too good. I watched the dirt thingie lift its arm up to try and hit me, but I didn't move. The dirt thingie was a meanie and Mommy always told me not to let meanies make you do anything you didn't want to do! This meanie wanted to make me move, so I wouldn't move! The dirt thingie punched at me and I raised my hands while my big fists came back.

***BOOM!***

"MATTHEW!"

"DARLING!"

Oh, I must have scared my friends. I would say sorry later. Right now, I had a meanie to crush.

The dirt thingie had tried to crush me, but I managed to catch his hand before it could touch me. I bet it looked really surprised! Still, I had a lot of punching to do on this meanie for trying to hurt my friends.

"You suck!" I shouted. I pulled back my arm and hit its fist with my super-big, super-strong, super-special punch! My big fist made a big boom and all sorts of neat grey cracks began to run up its arm. It was cool and sparkly! I wanted to see more! I made another super-big, super-strong, super-special punch and hit the meanie's hand again! This time, his hand exploded! Dirt flew all over the place and the meanie fell backwards because of how hard I hit! I knew I was super-strong.

The meanie crashed on the ground and I thought I heard my friends scream something. I hope they didn't get hurt by the boom.

"Familiar! Familiar!"

Who was that? I turned away from the meanie and saw the pretty green-haired lady Longbill…or something. She was holding a big box with a pretty silver thing on it. She was waving at me too. I wonder why?

"Over here!" she shouted.

"Okay!" I nodded. I walked over to Longbill. I wonder what she wanted. When I got close enough, she held up the box that she had so I could see it.

"I found the Staff of Destruction," she said to me. "The girls must have dropped it when the golem fell. I think we can use it to destroy that thing!"

"Okay…" I nodded. Staff of Dee-Struc-Shun? Oh! That thing the old pervy guy wanted us to find! Longbill wanted to use it to blow up the meanie! "Okay!"

"I…just don't know how to use it," Lombill said, looking a little sad. "Do you think you could…show me?"

"I dunno…maybe…" I shrugged. I wanted to go back and keep fighting the meanie. Couldn't she figure out how to use the Staff of Dee-Struc-Shun by herself? I guess she wanted to help though. I didn't want to be a meanie so I guess I should…

"Good," Longbill smiled. She undid the box and opened it for me to see. Inside was what looked like a green tube of some kind. It looked kind of boring to me. I wanted something that could blow up the meanie! I picked up the green tube to look at it. When I picked it up, I felt my hand start to get warm. I wonder what…

OH! It was a rocket launcher! Like the ones big robots use! Oh so cool!

"I know how to use this!" I cheered. That meanie was going to go get blown up so good! I held up the tube and pulled a cap off one end. Hitting a switch, I made the tube get bigger and I made a little rectangle pop up on top so to aim it. I put the tube on my shoulder and held it to show Longbill. "You hold it like this. Point it at the meanie and press the black thing on top." I pointed at the black rectangle. "Then watch as it goes boom!"

"I see," Longbill nodded, taking the rocket launcher back. "Thank you. You beat that thing and I'll destroy it."

"Okay!" I nodded. This was going to be fun! I turned around and saw that the meanie was getting back onto its feet. More dirt was coming out of the ground too and made anew hand for it. That was unfair, but I didn't care. Longbill wanted me to beat up the meanie so I was going to use the bestest beat up move I knew. It would be super awesome and Little Louise, Cutie Tabitha, and Pretty Kirche would think I was awesome forever! I grabbed the ring on my side and pushed it across my Core Medals to make pretty noises.

"**SCANNING CHARGE!**"

I jumped up really high into the air before I came back down and hit the ground with a really big boom! The ground cracked and broke before the pieces and cracks moved towards the meanie. It was too big and slow to get out of the way. The cracks and pieces caught it and the meanie sank into the ground like quicksand. He tried to push himself out with his hands, but they sank into the ground just like its feet. It sank deeper and deeper until its head and shoulders were sticking out of the ground. The cracks and pieces then started coming back to me, bringing the meanie back with it. I brought back my head and hands, making them glow really bright, knowing what to do next.

"SEE-YAH!-!" I yelled as the meanie got closer. When it was close enough, I hit it really hard with my head and big fists!

***BOOM!-!-!* **

The meanie blew up really good! Dirt and rocks flew everywhere and there was even a big hole in the ground when it went! It was so cool! I loved making meanies go boom!

"Hee! Hee! Hee!" I laughed and clapped my hands. "I did it! I did it! I made the meanie go boom! Yay!"

"Help!"

I blinked at the cry. I blew up the meanie, people didn't need help anymore did they? It sounded like Little Louise so I had better check and make sure. Walking around, I looked for where my friends were. It was a little hard since there was smoke all over the place, but I found them. It was weird though, all three of them were stuck inside giant balls of dirt with their heads sticking out of the top.

"Darling!" Kirche smiled at me. She had pretty smiles…

"…Louise? Kirche? Tabitha?" I asked.

"Yes!" the cotton-candy head girl cried. "Matthew! Hurry! Get us out of here!"

"Why are you pretending to be meatballs?" I asked as I stepped closer. Were we playing a game now?

"We're not playing you idiot!" Louise shouted. Oh, she was mad now. Now she looked like strawberry cotton candy…kinda…sorta… "It was Foquet! She jumped us and trapped us like this before she made off with the Staff of Destruction! You need to get us out of here so we can find it!"

"But…Longbill has the Staff of Dee-Struc-Shun," I mumbled as I reached to pull the dirt away. "She was going to blow up the meanie."

"You idiot!" Louise shrieked. She could be really loud. It kind of hurt my ears. "Longueville IS Foquet!"

"Huh?"

"That's right,"

I turned around when I heard that voice and saw Longbill standing a little bit away with the Staff of Dee-Struc-Shun pointing at me. She didn't really look all that pretty anymore. Her hair wasn't tied back and her glasses were gone. She wasn't wearing school clothes anymore, but those clothes that the meanie dirt lady wore back at the school. Longbill was really the meanie dirt lady? Why? She was so pretty and nice before. Why was she a meanie?

"I really must thank you for telling me how to use the Staff of Destruction. I knew that the Legendary Gandalfr, Master of Weapons, would be quite helpful." She had the rocket launcher aimed at us. It would make a big boom if the dirt lady shot it at us. I didn't want my friends to get hurt so I had to keep them safe! "Now, I will leave now but I think I'll test this on you, Gandalfr. It was pretty impressive, what you did to my golem, so you're the most dangerous one here. Nothing personal. It's just business."

I couldn't let her blow my friends up! I ran at her, ready to smash! "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Matthew!" Louise cried.

"Darling! No!" Kirche called out.

"Ah!" Tabitha gasped.

"Goodbye Gandalfr," the dirt lady whispered before she hit the square at the top.

**KA-BOOOM!-!-!-!**

* * *

><p><em>Matilda smirked as she lowered the Staff of Destruction and watched the cloud of smoke where the Gandalfr had been a literal heartbeat ago. Truly, the Staff of Destruction had earned its name from what she could see it did. Not even the legendary Familiar Gandalfr could go against its fury. That alone could mean a ridiculous amount of money if she sold it to the right person. That in turn meant that things would be a whole lot more comfortable for Tiffania and the children back in Westwood.<em>

_Now what to do with the three noble girls? She could run and leave them to expose her, forcing her to run to another country and have to establish a new identity again. Or maybe she could just eliminate them, but that would bring the wrath of some ridiculously powerful families down on her. She would have to forget about being Foquet once and for all at worst. Then again, her secretary job at the school didn't pay all that bad and it was sort of nice to get back along the vein that nobles lived on. Sure, Osmond's mouse trying to peek up her skirt was annoying and the odd fondle he'd sneak in was downright aggravating, but she had to admit it never got invasive and it was nice to know she was still attractive and not 'over the hill' like some of those spoiled brats liked to call her when they thought she wasn't around. She got treated more lecherously by less kind people since she left Saxe-Gotha._

'_Decisions, decisions," she sighed inwardly. Resting the Staff on the ground, she saw the smoke was clearing to reveal…_

…_three ruby lights?_

_(Play SaGoZo Theme: Sun Goes Up)_

"_RAAAAAHHH!"_

_A shockwave made Matilda scream and shield her face as the smokescreen was pushed away by a push of energy. Uncovering her face, she felt her heart sink when she saw the black and grey form of the Gandalfr standing in the middle of a blackened ring of dirt around him. His gauntleted fists were clenched at his sides with the thick armour smoking as…if…struck…?_

'_Did…did he actually BLOCK it?-!' the thief thought to herself in a panic._

_She was beginning to panic now. She had heard that the Staff of Destruction was capable of killing dragons! Just how powerful could the Gandalfr be if he was able to shrug it off so easily?_

_The Gandalfr wasn't going to stand still. Another bellow and he began charging at her like a rampaging bull! Matilda acted quickly and readied the Staff for another attack. She didn't have much time to aim, but he was close enough to not really need it. Reaching, she managed to hit the trigger for the incredible weapon…_

_-CLICK-_

_Nothing happened._

"_Huh?" Matilda gasped._

_It was her last thought before..._

_WHAM!_

_(END SONG)_

* * *

><p><em>Louise gasped as she watched her Familiar knock Foquet out with one push, making her hit her head off the ground. As the lady lost consciousness, she lost her focus and the spell which kept Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha trapped in the balls of dirt failed, letting the soil collapse and freeing them from their embrace. Louise pulled herself out from the dirt and furiously brushed the dirt off her clothes. Kirche was complaining about her hair and Tabitha didn't seem bothered by the fact that she was dirty at all.<em>

"_Darling! You saved me!" Kirche squealed, over the dirt in her hair in favour of trying to seduce her familiar again. She dashed across the clearing and latched onto Matthew, taking care to press those behemoths of hers against his body. "Oh you were so incredible and manly!"_

"_Hee, hee, hee!" Matthew giggled, scratching the back of his head. The move made Louise frown. He had been acting a little different since the beginning of the fight. When he had been talking to them while they were trapped, he sounded different, like he wasn't quite up to speed with what was happening. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn he was acting like a…_

"_Child," Tabitha murmured suddenly._

"_What?" Louise blinked._

"_He's different. Strange," Tabitha elaborated, likely some of the most speech she had ever heard from her. The bookworm Chevalier turned to look at her. "A child."_

_Louse frowned as she turned to watch Kirche fawn over her Familiar once again. She was babbling over how heroic he was and how incredible he looked. In response, he looked like he was trying to hide his face or was bashfully looking away. It had been a little over a week since she had summoned him, but Louise knew him well enough to know that when Kirche began fawning over him, he'd politely let her speak, but try not to lead her on or look like he was accepting her advances anyway. Instead, he was acting like a small child who was being told he was handsome by his beloved big sister._

_Now Louise knew something was up._

_Steeling herself, she walked closer to her armoured Familiar who was still childishly trying to hide his face even as Kirche continued to coo and ahh over him. After one particular move in which he tried to hide his face, he noticed her approaching. Immediately he perked up and began to wave at her, "Hi Little Louise!"_

_Louise flinched and struggled not to get upset by the name. She didn't mind it so much if Cattleya called her that since it was her way of showing her affection and never a means of teasing her, but anyone else who called her something along those lines meant it to mock her height. So she bit her cheek and instead tried to get her Familiar to return to normal, "Matthew, now that we beat Foquet, would you like to take your armour off?"_

"_Why? He looks so dashing in it," Kirche pouted._

"_Quiet you!" Louise hissed under her breath._

"_Ummmmm….okay!" Matthew nodded. Managing to squirrel away from Kirche's grip, he reached to his belt and removed the three gray Medals before removing the belt itself. The armour then flashed and vanished, changing him back to normal. For a moment, he looked completely normal but his eyes were a very strange shade of grey. It lasted for a moment until the grey shade faded back to his normal faded blue. After that, he trembled violently before collapsing onto the ground._

"_Darling!" Kirche cried, dropping to her knees beside him as she tried to help him lay back, actually placing his head in her lap. He was barely conscious, had broken out into a cold sweat, and was panting heavily. That only served to make Kirche go into a near panic attack herself. "Darling! Darling, speak to me!" the redhead looked to Louise. "Valliere, what's wrong with him?-!"_

"_It's a side effect of using his powers," Louise grimaced, running to her Familiar's side before kneeling next to him. "If he uses three of the same colour, it makes him much stronger than when he mixes them, but it puts a huge strain on his body."_

"_And you made him do that for the Exhibition?-!" Kirche gaped, looking outraged._

"_It wasn't this bad last time and he volunteered!"Louise shouted back. "The Exhibition was planned and he probably paced himself or something! This time he had to go all out to save us! He got hit by the Staff of Destruction for Brimir's sake!"_

_Kirche frowned, but apparently saw the point._

"_Guuuuh," Matthew groaned, alerting the pair to his return to full consciousness. His breathing was still laboured, but he seemed to be getting closer to better. "We…win?"_

"_Shhh Darling," Kirche whispered, sounding much gentler than Louise had ever heard before ever since meeting the Germanian. "We did win. We got the Staff of Destruction and you beat that awful Foquet woman. Now sleep Darling. You need rest."_

"_Can't," Matthew grunted out, actually moving despite Kirche pressing him down._

"_Yes you can Darling!" Kirche snapped. "Please!"_

"_My…Medals," he retorted. "Dropped…"_

"_Here," Tabitha spoke, walking towards the group. She was holding out her hand which was revealing the one blue and two yellow Medals which he had dropped when Foquet's golem had tried to crush them in the cabin. Obviously Tabitha had dug them out._

"_Tabitha!" Kirche gasped. "Perfect timing! Call Sylphid so we can get back to the academy! Now!"_

_Nodding, Tabitha brought her fingers to her lips and let out a shrill whistle. It didn't take long for the large blue dragon to fly down to the ground. It took a bit of manoeuvring to get everyone onto the dragon's back but it was worth it. Foquet was tied up at the back while Kirche and Louise made sure Matthew wouldn't fall off. Tabitha sat at the base of Sylphid's neck so that she could guide her Familiar properly._

"_Please hurry," Louise humbly begged Tabitha. The bluenette nodded before she tapped Sylphid's side, making the dragon take off in the direction of their school._

* * *

><p><em>They group had returned to the academy with little fanfare. Kirche and Louise helped guide Matthew to the infirmary where the trained Water Mages could examine him while Tabitha dropped Foquet off with the guards who came to inspect the noise. The Staff of Destruction was handed over to a guard to be placed back in the vault where it would be safe and protected. The three young women rather than report to the headmaster instead stuck to the infirmary to see how they could help their wounded friend.<em>

_It was their bedside vigil that Osmond had found them at when he came to find the three of them after hearing of their return. He wasn't offended in the least at hearing the girls went to Matthew's side instead, knowing from experience that sometimes formalities must be put aside for the sake of a friend. He gently asked the girls what had occurred in their pursuit of Foquet. He was glad that the Staff had been returned, but saddened by the fact that Foquet had been his own secretary. He had also been shocked to hear about how Matthew had not only defeated another of her golems, but took a direct hit from the Staff of Destruction and didn't seem to appear the worse for wear beyond his current condition_

_The Water Mages reported that Matthew was severely exhausted and would need a lot of rest, but he was otherwise fine. Perhaps he'd be a bit sore when he woke up, but he'd be fine. It brought a wave of relief over everyone. Osmond regained that spark he had in his less than serious moments before he sent Tabitha and Kirche away. The Ball which would close the Familiar Exhibition would be that night and now all three young ladies would be guests of honour. Louise of course was permitted to stay since she was Matthew's master and his care should be one of her top concerns._

_As such, Louise watched over Matthew as he rested. On a nearby table was the Medal Book and O-Driver. Looking at it only reminded her of what her Familiar had done when he invoked their full power. Seeing the SaGoZo Combo in action had rattled her nerves slightly. BuraKaWani had been amazing at the show but SaGoZo, in battle, was just something she never saw coming. The raw power which allowed him to knock over a golem the size of a house in only two punches was somewhat frightening. His ability to control gravity in that form was…astonishing. She hadn't thought it possible, but her Familiar tended to keep doing things she thought impossible._

_The maid, Siesta, had come checking on Matthew frequently, just seeing if he was comfortable. She would check his pillows, his blankets, make sure he didn't get dusty, and even if there wasn't anything to do she'd just check on him. Louise couldn't blame her. He had rescued her from the manipulations of the Hawk Yummy earlier that week. She'd stick close to a man who had done so for her too. Siesta had come in a gibbering wreck when she heard that Matthew had been struck with the highly destructive magical artefact that Foquet had stolen. Fortunately, Matthew did not receive any injuries even after being blasted by the Staff of Destruction. Clearly, that armour of his was very strong._

_Louise picked up the Medal Book and opened it up for what felt like the hundredth time. Her eyes scanned over the coloured pieces of metal, their edges catching in the light and highlighting the designs on their surfaces. There was so much power in these Medals of his. Sure, she called them coins but they were unlike anything she had ever laid her eyes on. Clearly, those ancient alchemists knew what they were doing._

_Maybe Matthew had been right about the Medals being dangerous if they got in the wrong hands. If Matthew had such power at his disposal and he wished to do what was right, she wondered how powerful those Greeed creatures he mentioned were who used such power to satiate their own desires before anything else._

_Then there were the Cell Medals. Though they were absent of any color unlike the Core Medals, they were capable of creating monsters and even giving Delflinger the ability to cut a golem in half, along with everything that was behind the golem as well._

_Was this truly the power of desire? Was it her desire that had called forth Matthew to become her Familiar? While it had been irritating to know her Familiar held command over magic more powerful and ancient than she could ever wield, at least she did not summon anything common. Matthew definitely wasn't a commoner, but nor was he a noble._

_She looked at all the Medals again. What powers did the other Combos have? What abilities would they grant Matthew? She had once thought of writing a letter back to her family, informing them of her special Familiar, but she wasn't sure if they would react positively. Cattleya, maybe, but what about her eldest sister and parents?_

_What would they think? Without these artefacts Matthew was just a normal human. Then again, mages couldn't use their magic without their wands or any other focusing item. Was it the same for Matthew? Rather than using the Medals like a crutch like most artefacts, they were in truth pre-prepared spells that needed his power to activate? Were these artefacts something that he'd found through destiny? Could he have been descended from that ancient king who tried to rule the world?_

_There was no use pondering the questions if he never woke up though, so she would have to deal with them later._

* * *

><p>"Never. Drinking. Again."<p>

In all honesty, those were the first words that came to mind when I returned to consciousness. Of course, after that I began to remember everything that had happened…to an extent. I remembered using the grey Core Medals to activate SaGoZo, but things started getting fuzzy after that. I remembered fighting the golem, showing Longue…Foquet how to use that rocket launcher, then getting shot with the damn thing, then dropping the bitch. After that, it got really blurry since I was only half conscious at the time.

I sat up in my bed and looked around to see where I had ended up. Rows of pure white beds were lining the walls and privacy screens were circling around a few of them. If I had to guess off the top of my head, I was in some kind of infirmary. It didn't answer my question of just what the hell I was supposed to do next. There weren't any doctors or healers around to tell me what was going on or how long I had been asleep for. Full Combos weren't exactly pleasant on the body.

"I really should be more careful," I mumbled to myself. Not only did my body feel sore but so did my head. I was aware of my actions, but of course I felt as if someone else's personality had merged with mine. The door opened and I heard a gasp. Looking towards it I saw Siesta. "Oh, hey-"

"Matthew!" she cried as she instantly closed the gap between the door and me and was at my bedside almost immediately. "You're awake! I was so worried! How are you feeling?"

Aside from the pounding headache? Well, I didn't want to worry the poor maid. "I'm fine, just needed a lot of rest, that's all." Then I noticed something else. Kneeling on the floor, with her head of pink hair rested on her arms on the bed sheets was Louise. Had she been there the whole time?

"She never left your side," said Siesta, already seeing the question forming in my eyes.

I smiled. Well, guess Louise did have a soft and tender side. Then again, maybe she was doing what any master would do for their Familiar. Glad that she cared enough for me to stay. She did look cute when she slept, all quiet and peaceful. OK, so maybe that was mean if I thought she was cute if she was quiet but ever since I've known her in this short time she has yelled a lot, looked at me with a glare and barked orders. However, lately our relationship had improved. Maybe it had something to do with me, or maybe it had something to do with me and my Medals.

I then noticed a package in Siesta's arms. In all the excitement of my revival she must've forgotten about it too. Looking down into her arms where she was holding the package. "Oh, this was delivered by a tailor named Ms. Quinn. It's addressed to you and Ms. Valliere."

"Already?" I blinked, remembering why Quinn would be sending anything to me a Louise. "That was quick."

Taking the package from Siesta, I quietly set it down in front of me before going at the strings which held the brown paper shut. I managed to get them off before tearing through the packaging paper. Getting through it, I was met with the image of the BuraKaWani crest staring back at me. It was stitched in a light orange on the back of a darker orange fabric. Pulling it out, I found that it was a jacket to be worn over a regular shirt. Turning it over, I saw the images of the Cobra, Turtle, and Crocodile Medals all embroidered over where the heart would be in a triangle formation.

"Nice," I nodded.

"It looks so well done," Siesta admired. "What does the rest of it look like?"

"Fwuaaaaa…"

A sleepy yawn alerted Siesta and I to the fact that Louise had returned to the land of the awake. She blearily wiped her eyes and sat up. Looking around, she just seemed to stare at me for a moment as her thought processors came back online. It was slow, but her eyes began widening as it dawned on her that I was awake and apparently feeling better.

"Hi Louise," I smiled. "Mission accomplished."

The pinkette stared at me for a moment before her face turned into an interesting shade of red, "IDIOT!" she lunged at me and began shaking my by the collar of my shirt. I felt my eyes bulge under the treatment as she shook me back and forth. "You fool! How could you do something so dangerous, using a Full Combo which you knew would hurt you! And tricking me, your master into giving you those Medals! When I get through with you, you'll never even think of doing something so dangerous again!"

Well, at least she cared in her own special way.

"Um…Ms. Valliere," Siesta spoke up, managing to distract Louise from her intended punishment for me worrying her. "Now that Matthew is awake, wouldn't you want to get ready for the ball tonight?"

"Hmmm," Louise frowned, thoughts of punishment dwindling from her mind.

"Ball?" I blinked. "What ball? How long have I been asleep?"

* * *

><p>Apparently, I had only been asleep for a few hours. The Ball which Siesta had mentioned apparently was to close the celebrations of the Familiar Exhibition, known as the Ball of Frigg. Foquet's little heist postponed the Ball, but with our triumphant return Old Osmond decided to have us as the guests of honour. Well, more like Tabitha, Kirche, and Louise would be the guests of honour. Since I wasn't a noble, I really couldn't receive any kind of reward for my services. That was okay though, I would only ask for information in return for my deeds the first of which was how the hell a god-damned rocket launcher ended up in a world of sorcery and just what the hell did Gandalfr mean? I could ask him later though. Right now, I was distracted by the goings of the Ball of Frigg.<p>

What I saw was something from a fairytale. It was a large ballroom like out of a story. Everything was illuminated by the gentle light of candles, making the walls appear golden. Fancy tables were set up at the sides for those who wished to enjoy some dinner or drink rather than twirl across the dance floor. A small orchestra made beautiful music which many pairs danced to. The students were all dressed in formal wear that wouldn't have been out of place in the Renaissance. It truly looked like every bit the fairytale ball and I was actually able to attend.

Contrary to what I had initially thought, I was permitted to attend since Kirche, Tabitha, and Louise had all insisted I receive that much recognition for my services. Osmond certainly didn't seem to mind since he also felt I deserved some reward. Since I was officially Louise's Familiar, I had a bit more leeway to be around nobles than the average person did. It was actually very fortunate that my first outfit managed to arrive when it did, otherwise I'd have to have attended wearing only my regular clothes. I had to admit that Quinn really came through with the one outfit that had managed to reach me so far.

The jacket with the emblems on it I of course wore on the outermost layer with the crests and medals displayed proudly. Black lined the edges of my sleeves and had simple buttons on the cuffs in case I needed them. I wore a simple black button-up shirt with a deep orange vest on top of it, making me look a little sophisticated. The vest was for a more formal occasion like the one I was in, but the black shirt was much more casual. I also wore orange trousers with black lines running down the sides which weren't as formal as the tights the other males in the room wore but they were comfortable and that was what counted. What made he outfit really stand out though was the fact that my vest had black lines running over it like a turtle shell, my belt was actually made of crocodile skin that was stained black, and I wore an orange tie that was styled after snake skin. As I said before, Quinn had outdone herself.

I had arrived a little late to the ball since I needed Siesta to help me with the tie and we got tangled up for a few minutes. She also refused to let me leave until I was wearing a 'proper' set of shoes so I had to wait until she brought them back. How she knew my foot size I'd never guess. Maybe it was a secret maid technique? I managed to finally get to the ball, but no one announced me since again I wasn't a noble. Still, the people watching the doors for intruders let me in with respectful nods and not a dirty look from any of them.

I mingled around the other students. Some of them actually talking to me and asking questions about my powers, curious about how I had such magic. It seemed that the rumours of me being part-elf or a foreign noble were still going on strong. A few of the girls offered compliments on my choice of clothes, stating I had a noble's taste. Despite being cultured snobs in some cases, they didn't seem too bad in terms of company. But then again, we were in public so they probably had to be polite.

I kept an eye out for any faces and quickly found them. Guiche was serenading a girl in the moonlight by a balcony and it looked like there was a line-up of girls waiting their turn inside. Of course, Montmorency was stomping over to the spot with murder in her eyes. Tabitha was sitting in what seemed to be a very simple pale blue dress at one of the dining tables as she calmly cut up what looked like an entire roast boar. Weirdly enough, it looked like she had gotten some decent progress on it too.

The next face I saw was Kirche, whom was unsurprisingly surrounded by male admirers. I honestly couldn't blame them. She was wearing a mainly purple ball gown which was deep violet on the sides and a pale indigo running down the middle. Attached to her waist were three sizable rubies which made it look almost like a belt. Her arms were covered in violet gloves which reached almost up to her shoulders. Unsurprisingly but not unappreciated was the fact that the dress was strapless, revealing her bare shoulders and a generous amount of her cleavage. She even had her hair tied up in a ponytail, showing off her skin even more. She looked to be in her element as she regaled her audience on the adventure on dealing with Foquet.

I would have left her to speak with her noble friends, but…

"Oh! Darling!" The flirty Germanian had managed to spot me and quickly broke out from her ring of admirers to almost vacuum seal herself to my arm. I could already feel the glares of the guys she had just ditched to talk to me. "I'm so glad you were able to come! I was just telling my friends about how you heroically saved me."

"Oh, how kind of you," I chuckled. I wouldn't doubt for a second that those guys wouldn't have a clue what Kirche was talking about but could count the number of stitches the top of her dress had with unshakable confidence. "I only did my part though."

"So humble," Kirche giggled, seemingly unknowing of how the other boys were beginning to glare at me. Leaning against me, she began speaking in a husky voice. "You know, I hadn't been able to show you my thanks for helping us like you did. Would you perhaps like to share a dance with me?" The smoky look in her eyes made me suspect that a dance was only the beginning of some of the things she had in mind.

'_Hell yes!_' my libido screamed out. My logical mind managed to keep order imposed so I could make an intelligent reply, rather than a hormonal one. Kirche was likely one of the only friends I had in the school and I didn't want to accidentally insult and/or alienate her by turning her down. Besides, what was a ball worth when you didn't dance? "If you don't mind dancing with a complete amateur, I would be delighted."

"Marvellous," Kirche beamed. "Don't worry about a thing darling, I'll show you _everything_ you need to know."

Her tone of voice unnerved me slightly, but I had made my bed so to speak so I might as well see it through. Kirche took my arm and began to guide to where several other couples were happily dancing and making merry. I remembered seeing how some people danced in a renaissance manner so I at least decided to look the part for the sake of a peaceful ball while Kirche and I dance. So as Kirche held my arm, I stood up straight and held my right arm at a 90 degree angle behind my back like I had seen them do in films. Kirche noticed my change in posture and quirked her eyebrow enticingly, but I didn't say a word.

We reached the dance floor and Kirche stepped in front of me, her smile not leaving her lips, "Now put your right hand on my waist and take my right hand in your left," I followed her instructions, trying not to feel like a nerd going to his first school dance. The first time had been nerve-wracking enough thank you very much. Kirche 'hum'-ed as I touched her and she stepped enticingly close while she rested her left hand on my shoulder.

"Now follow my lead, and sway to the music," Kirche instructed.

So I followed Kirche's lead on the dance floor, which I suppose could be considered a slightly emasculating blow but at the moment I just really didn't care. It was actually kind of nice to dance with her, especially since she wasn't doing anything seductive for a change. Something nice and peaceful was just what I needed after that whole battle with Foquet's golem. Dancing with a pretty girl always seemed to brighten one's mood. The music was soft and slow, very soothing and in the right mindset definitely romantic.

Too bad the people around us weren't overtaken by it.

"What is that Familiar doing here?"

"Who does he think he is, dancing with Kirche like an equal?"

"Why isn't he in Louise's room like a Familiar should be?"

"Nnn," I frowned, feeling my eye twitch. Apparently these people were the ones who didn't believe any of the rumours which had sprung up about me. Likely they had never seen me transform before, which was likely since I had only ever changed four times in the school since I arrived and it was only ever a small group of students who saw me do it compared to the entire population of the school. It seemed even with what I did to fight Foquet being a proven fact, they were still going to look down on me.

"Don't listen to them Darling," Kirche whispered, shooting a glare at some of the people whispering so harshly about me. "You deserve to be here just as much as they do."

"To be here and dance like a noble?" I frowned, not quite ready to believe that.

"After all I've seen you do, you are quite obviously a noble," Kirche smiled. "You are simply unranked in these lands. Give it time. You'll get the respect you deserve."

Well, Rome wasn't built in a day I guess. Then again, I wasn't out to win anyone's acceptance except the acceptance of those who mattered to me. Standing in front of me was one of those people whose opinion mattered most since arriving. As I was absently looking at her though, I noticed that Kirche was wearing the red feather as a decoration in her hair. She wore it at the point where her hair was tied back to be specific. It didn't contrast well with her hair so it blended in and was barely noticeable. I was pretty sure that no one had seen it there yet except for me.

"Ah, you noticed it," Kirche giggled, seeing where my eyes had landed. "I've been keeping it close ever since you gave it to me."

"I'm…flattered," I chuckled. Why oh why did I give that feather to her while I was in TaJaDol?-!-?-! Don't get me wrong, she was really nice and totally hot but I was the kind of guy who liked to ease himself into a relationship, not barrel my way in like I had apparently started to in my Full Red Combo form! Despite being friends with the girl, I really didn't know her well enough to do some of the things she hinted at!

"You know Darling," she whispered, leaning closer so to let her breath tickle my face. "The gardens are very picturesque on nights like these. Would you like to…go look?"

'_Say yes you fool! Go! Go! Go! Go forth and become a man! Do it!" _My libido's screams were almost deafening. Honestly, this was looking less like the odd bout of hormones trying to rise up and more like a life or death internal struggle. Was I really this close to glory and-?

"Ma~tthew!"

The struggle was left unresolved when something suddenly grabbed my ear and pinched down heavily. "Ow! Ahh! Louise! Stop it! Ow! Crap, why does this hurt so much!-?" I struggled and tried to get who I just knew to be Louise to let go of my ear, incidentally being tugged away from Kirche. Managing to twist slightly in her grasp, I saw that Louise was wearing a white ball gown with red ruffles running horizontally along the dress. The shoulders were puffy and hung on her arms with red bows attached to them. She wore white gloves which really didn't cover her hands and were connected at the middle finger. She had her hair done up in a ponytail and had some rather nice jewellery on.

"I can't leave you alone for a minute, can I?" Louise hissed as she pulled me away. "You're always getting into trouble!"

"Valliere, let him go this instant!" Kirche huffed, following us. "We were having a moment! He was going to take me on a walk in the gardens!"

"WHAT?-!" Louise growled, turning to glare at me, incidentally not letting go of my ear. I tell you, it added a whole new twist to my pain. "You dog! You'd follow the first girl who'd so much as glance at you, wouldn't you?-!"

"OW! OW! OW! MY EAR! LEGGO!"

* * *

><p>AN: Well, here's chapter five for you. Some people have been asking me to let them get to know about Matt's past. In truth, right now is about establihing him in Halkenginia and dealing with some of the first situations which come up. His past will be revealed, but not until later since this is only the first fic in a series.


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Familiar of Zero or Kamen Rider OOO. I am only writing this for fun and for no other reason. If you like it then enjoy if not then you don't have to read it. Don't bother trying to flame me either. I'll ignore those.

**Familiar of ZerOOO**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**CHAPTER 6: The Perverted Count, The Maid in Distress, and The Blue Marine Combo**

It had been a few days since the Ball of Frigg and Louise and I were back on friendly terms once again. Her little fit of jealousy during my dance with Kirche had been embarrassing enough. The two girls had argued about it for a while after the fact and that only made it worse in my opinion. I myself saw fit to be a grump for the day afterwards, certainly not having enjoyed the night after being totally humiliated in front of everyone. So I spent the remainder of the night having a nice dinner and sharing very short conversations with Tabitha. I had also learned that night that Tabitha loved her food and loved to eat it. She revealed that much of herself when a maid would deliver another course and the bluenette's eyes would become large sparkles as she made a beeline for the delicacy. It was the most normal that I had ever seen the girl act.

Of course, Louise had been grumpy at me the day after the Ball too and only got worse when I went out of my way to ignore her. Eventually we got into another argument with her admonishing me for drooling over the 'flame-headed floozy' while I demanded to know just why she hated Kirche so much. Granted, the redhead was the one who started 'Louise the Zero' but there was too much aggression for something as simple as an insulting nickname. I personally thought it may have been jealousy concerning Kirche's figure and popularity, but Loiuise told me otherwise.

It turned out that the Zerbst and Valliere families were fierce rivals and that Kirche and Louise were just the latest incarnation of it. Both families lived on opposite sides of the borders between Tristain and Germania so whenever conflict broke out between the two countries, it would be those two families who would butt heads first. Both families were extremely rich and influential on both sides and both had produced powerful magi in their time. It was more than political or patriotism that caused the two families to clash so harshly; it was downright personal. According to Louise, one of Kirche's ancestors stole the fiancée/fiancé of one of Louise's ancestors. I'm purposefully vague in this description since Louise seemed to keep changing which one of her ancestors were the ones wronged. To that end I figure that either the story isn't as solid as Louise herself believes or it's happened several times over the course of the two families' interactions.

Politics. Eugh.

* * *

><p><em>Old Osmond read over one of the letters from Princess Henrietta. It basically boiled down to a very warm thanks to him and the students of the academy who managed to defeat Foquet and deliver her to justice. Henrietta was offering to have all those nobles involved entitled as Chevaliers for their service to the crown. Well, Louise would be easy to do while it may take a bit more convincing for the ruler of Germania but likely not overly much.<em>

_So for the sake of politeness, he wrote up a reply stating there would be no need for thanks, but he would alert Kirche and Louise about her intents and no doubt they would be in contact. Reading between the lines, the message would say 'please feel free to reward us as much as you deem fit'. Of course, as a noble they had to use more proper speech and not sound like ruthless beggars. Still, he sort of missed Ms. Longuevile. Despite being a thief in disguise, she was definitely easy on the eyes and was always pleasant to talk to. Not to mention she was always fun to tease and had excellent taste in underwear. Heck, best of all she wouldn't hit him nearly as much as other women he had teased in the past would._

_Of course, there were times he missed her more often than others._

_As he completed his message, he used his magic to roll the message up and pass it to the man in front of him. The fellow in front of him was in his thirties, if not early forties. He had thinning brown hair and extremely thin eyebrows and moustache which were painstakingly curled. He wore clothes with a ruffled collar, all of which practically screamed his status and nobility. His title was that of the Royal Messenger and for all intents and purposes, he was good at it. The problem was that absolutely nobody liked him. Osmond could tell the man was a lecher since he had practically stripped Longueville with his eyes in plain view of everyone else once before. _

_Osmond may have liked to tease and sneak a grope here or there, but when he got busted he took his punishment like a man and he never treated a woman around him like a thing meant for his pleasure. His actions may have said otherwise, but when a lady said no then Osmond listened. According to certain rumours, Mott had a problem understanding that word._

"_Her majesty will appreciate such a swift reply," Mott smiled._

"_I hope you have a safe journey," Osmond replied, although he didn't feel like he could say it honestly._

* * *

><p>With our current spat over with, Louise and I were enjoying a serving of tea with one another. I had actually gotten a taste for the stuff since Louise would always be unable to finish a whole kettle of it so I decided to give it a try. It was actually good and when Louise was feeling generous, she and I would be able to share a kettle while we talked about things. For today at this point in time, we were talking about the Core Medals.<p>

I had taken out three Medals from each set, and laid them out on the table. I was giving Louise a basic tutorial of what each Medal could do, and what each Full Combo could do. She pretty much insisted. After I appointed her as my Medal Manager, she had taken the role seriously and since the last time I used a Full Combo, which she saw as reckless, she decided that she would need to learn so she could decide when and where I should use a Full Combo. She could definitely play the Ankh to my Eiji with her haughty attitude. So, one by one, I plucked out one of each Medal so I could give her the official rundown on what they did and what they would do in a Full Combo. I knew them all by heart so it was easy for me.

Louise began, "I have a question."

"Yeah?" I responded.

"Why is there a song whenever you use a Full Combo?"

"Don't worry about that."

"You don't know, do you?" Louise snickered.

"Not a damn clue," I sighed. Shaking my head, I decided to keep going on the explanations. "But enough about the songs. You wanted to know what the Medals and Combos do, right?"

"That's why we're here," Louise huffed.

"Okay, okay," I shrugged. Louise's patience was as testy as ever it seemed. "Okay, let's start with the ones you've already seen before then." Looking to the groups of Medals on the table, I pulled the orange ones into a set by themselves. I spread them out so Louise could see them properly. "These are the Cobra, Turtle, and Crocodile Medals and-"

"But the belt calls them a different name," Louise frowned.

"They're in a different language, one that the king who had them made took an interest in. I think it was so that if no one could understand what the names of the Medals meant in their language, they wouldn't know what they might do unless they had seen them before. Can I continue?" I replied, lying through my teeth about the origins of the Medals once again. Seeing her nod, I continued. "Okay, the Cobra Medal gives me the ability to see body heat and also sharpens my eyesight. The Turtle Medal equips me with the Goura Guardna shields which as far as I have seen, can block just about anything. Lastly, the Crocodile Medal equips me with the Saw Deadscythers which power up my kicks in a momentum sense."

"Momentum?" Louise blinked.

"Kicks in which I swing my foot at my enemy rather than I try to muster force from my muscles," I elaborated before continuing. "Together they make the BuraKaWani Combo. While I'm in that form, I can generate a substance called Soma Venom which contrary to the name actually has powerful healing properties. I'm also able to summon a giant cobra to use in battle. Sort of a Familiar for your Familiar."

"It's still creepy," the pinkette mumbled, shivering at the memory of the cobra I had called to perform with in the Familiar Exhibition. "So…BuraKaWani would then be suitable for battles you need stamina and strategy for?"

"Hmmm…that's not a bad way of looking at it," I nodded, tapping my chin with my finger as I gazed at the orange Medals. "BuraKaWani is one of the trickiest combos I know of. Strategy is a pretty good way of classifying it."

"All right then," Louise nodded, making notes on a scroll. I hoped she brought a lot with her since there was a lot of information to go over.

"Moving on," I smiled. She was definitely diligent; I had to give her that. I pulled up the grey Medals for the next explanation. "I'm sure you know these ones," I chuckled, but received a glare in return. "Okay, the grey set comes as follows: Rhino, Gorilla, and Elephant."

"What, what, and what?" Louise blinked.

"I'll explain later," I sighed. This was going to be like Siesta all over again. "The Rhino Medal makes my head pretty thick. I'm able to headbutt much harder. I did it to that Hawk Yummy and managed to hit it so hard it spilled out Cell Medals but I didn't feel a thing. Next, the Gorilla Medal makes me capable of punching much harder than before, enough to shatter rock. In a pinch, I can shoot the gauntlets at my enemies and just have to wait a moment for them to come back. Lastly, the Elephant Medal allows me to create tremors in the ground just by stomping my feet."

"All of which together make that SaGoZo Combo you used to fight Foquet," Louise finished, crossing her arms.

"Kind of needed it at the time," I grimaced. "SaGoZo is called the Gravity Combo for a reason. I can literally control gravity while I'm using that combination. My strength also skyrockets, allowing me to punch harder and even cause real earthquakes with the Elephant Medal. When there's a situation that needs a whole lot of raw muscle, SaGoZo is the Combo to call for."

"Hmmm," Louise frowned. She was probably against SaGoZo at the moment considering what she saw it do to me.

"Next up," I continued, not wanting the pinkette to build up a head of steam. I plucked the three green Medals from the groups. "We have Stag Beetle, Mantis, and Grasshopper, otherwise known as Kuwagata, Kamakiri, and Batta. The Kuwagata Medal allows me to fire electricity from the horns on my helmet. The Kamakiri Medal arms me with a pair of swords to use against my enemies. Lastly, the Batta Medal powers up both my kicks and my jumps."

"And what do you call the Combo?" asked Louise.

"GataKiriBa," I answered. "It's also known as the Strongest Combo, even though it's not physically the most powerful one."

"Then why call it the strongest?"

"Because it can defeat armies by itself," was my reply. Louise looked like she wanted to disbelieve me, but she had already seen what the Core Medals could do before so she couldn't entirely disbelieve it just yet. "I'm not kidding. When I use GataKiriBa, I am able to duplicate myself until there are enough of me to match an army."

"…S-S-S-Seriously?" Louise gaped.

"Never used it personally, but from what I've learned it does happen that way," I shrugged. What made it so hard to use was the fact that it was difficult for all of the copies to merge back together into one and the user of OOO would have to do that just to be capable of transforming back to normal. I didn't want to use it if I didn't have to since out of all of the Combos it was one of the most difficult in my opinion. Seeing that Louise wasn't going to interrupt, I continued by pulling out the three yellow Medals. "Okay, next up are the Lion, Tiger, and Cheetah Medals."

"W-W-What do th-th-these ones do?" Louise stuttered. I think I was beginning to scare her with the full power of the Core Medals. Well, she had asked for it.

"The Lion Medal allows me to emit powerful bursts of light which can blind or distract my opponents," I pushed the Medal in question towards her. "You already saw what Tiger does; equips me with razor sharp claws attached to my gauntlets. Lastly the Cheetah Medal allows me to run at very high speeds. The Combo is called RaToraTah. The added ability of this Combo is that I'm able to use those bursts of light to incinerate things as well as blind them."

"I see," Louise nodded, "And the red ones?"

"Hawk, Peacock, and Condor," I introduced, moving the red Cores from the 'yet to be introduced' pile to the 'already introduced' group. "The Hawk Medal allows me to enhance my eyesight in terms of targeting. If it's a specific spot, I'll be able to find it using this. The Peacock Medal arms me with the Taja Spinner, a projectile weapon that uses Cell Medals as ammunition. I also get minor fire manipulation abilities. Lastly, the Condor Medal equips me with blades on my feet like talons which enhance the damage my kicks do, rather than enhancing the striking power of certain kicks like the Wani or Batta Medals do."

"Okay," Louise nodded. As she spoke, her studious look turned into one of suspicion. "Wait…Matthew, Kirche once mentioned you were like a phoenix when she had you in her room. You mentioned you can control fire with the Peacock Medal, and the Combo would be themed after a bird…"

I gulped. Once again Louise showed just how sharp she was despite how dismal her practical abilities were. I could already see that she was suspecting that I had been showing off for Kirche while I was in her room that night. I knew I wasn't showing off when I changed, but afterwards was even now still fuzzy. "Well, TaJaDol Combo is supposed to be based on a phoenix," I remarked. "I had my wings out and I was covered in flames. It makes sense that Kirche could make that assumption."

Louise took in my words. "A phoenix…" she murmured. I knew she was thinking that I should've used the TaJaDol Combo in the Exhibition Festival but remembering how much strain Full Combos put on my body she put that thought away. "Alright, what about these?" she asked, pointing at the blue Core Medals.

Glad for the chance of subject, I explained, "Orca, Electric Eel and Octopus. The Orca Medal lets me fire jets of highly pressurized water, the Electric Eel Medal lets me use the Unagi Whips. Each lash feels like lightning. Finally, the Octopus Medal gives me the Tako Legs that allow me to stick to surfaces because of the suction cups and they can also split into tentacles so I can attack with kicks like they were my own legs. The Full Combo, ShaUTa, also known as the Marine Combo, allows me to turn myself into water."

I then gestured towards the purple Core Medals, "Next we have Pterodactyl, Triceratops and T-Rex."

"What are those?" she asked, not recognizing the animals. Probably the closest parallel to dinosaurs that Louise had ever seen in this world were dragons. I had to admit that there was something of a resemblance, but a faint one. I definitely wouldn't mistake something like Tabitha's Familiar to be a dinosaur.

"Well, where I'm come from they are extinct," I told Louise. "Now, these Core Medals are different from the others. I can't use them to mix-and-match with the others for Random Combos."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because these purple Core Medals are an antithesis of the others," I told her seriously. "While the other Core Medals were made from desire, these purple ones were created from the lack of a desire, or basically the end of desire; the total opposite of desire. Imagine having no dreams, not wanting or needing anything. Imagine only waiting for the end of things." I could tell that blew Louise's mind, if the way her eyes had grown large enough to match tea saucers were any indication. "If I tried to mix-and-match with these Core Medals, I might end up destroying my others in the process."

"Oh, alright," Louise nodded, almost mechanically.

"Now, the Pterodactyl Medals lets me fly and also fire blasts of ice, the Triceratops Medal arms me with these extendable shoulder spikes call the Wind Stingers. Finally, the T-Rex Medal equips me with the Tail Divider, which is a powerful tail that I can use to bash things with. Of course this Combo is dangerous because I might go berserk if I stay in it for far too long, " I finished. Moving the purple Cores to the others, I saw that Louise's eyes had trailed over to the black Core medals that remained by themselves. "If you're asking about those, I really don't know what they do. Haven't tried them out yet."

"Why?"

"Never had the opportunity."

"Well, we have some free time today," Louise offered with a shrug. "Perhaps we can test them?"

"Sounds good to me," I grinned.

* * *

><p><em>Siesta heaved a heavy sigh as she walked about the castle. Despite how some of the nobles would be mean to her, it really wasn't so bad. The castle was big, there was always something to do, and just recently she had made a very special friend. He showed her that nothing was impossible. He showed her that she could do anything if she worked enough at it. Even that the nobles weren't invincible and they too could be humbled.<em>

_The castle was really beginning to feel like a home…and now she had to leave._

_She just hoped that she would be able to say goodbye to the one who had made it all possible._

* * *

><p>"<strong>TAKA!"<strong>

"**TORA!"**

"**BATTA!"**

"**TA-TO-BA TATOBA TA-TO-BA!"**

I stood in my TaToBa Combo as Louise inspected my armor. We were standing in the courtyard, which allotted us some open space for the testing that Louise wanted to go through. The sun was going down, turning the sky orange. The students were of course in their dorms, so we were by ourselves. That was something both of us preferred since we both found that privacy to explore our abilities. "So, this is your armor's basic state," she analyzed.

"Yeah, it's the same one the king used a lot," I said.

Louise was holding my Medal Book. We were going to do some practice. She had seen what a Full Combo could do to me so she decided that I should just use Random Combos instead. She could admit my Full Combos were incredibly powerful, judging from how much power I packed in SaGoZo Combo, but what concerned her was the strain using a Full Combo in battle put on my body. She saw it as her responsibility to care for her Familiar—namely me—and to make sure I didn't do anything so reckless again.

We did reach a compromise. If there was any situation that needed the power of a Full Combo, she would have to give me the Medals to do it.

She opened the Medal Book and scanned my collection. Earlier, I had given Louise a brief tutorial of the Medals and what individual powers they could grant me. She may not be able to cast practical magic correctly but she was smart and knew the theory well. She soaked up the information like a sponge, memorizing them instantly.

She took a Core Medal out and then tossed it to me. I caught it in my hand and I looked at it. It was the green Kuwagata Medal from Uva's set. Nodding, I replaced the Taka Medal with the Kuwagata Medal before scanning my O-Driver.

"**KUWAGATA!"**

"**TORA!"**

"**BATTA!"**

The air began to crackled as bolts of green electricity began to race through the air, making black marks in the ground. It was shocking for sure. Louise's eyes widened but I could see that she was impressed. She then selected another Medal and tossed it to me.

* * *

><p>We spent about an hour mixing and matching different Random Combos. I think Louise was having fun because my Medals were interchangeable. Parts of my armor would change to correspond with the Medals in my O-Driver. I remembered reading from a website of all the Random Combos OOO was capable of. It was too bad they couldn't be covered in the series, but with 48 episodes there really wasn't much they could do to squeeze all those possible Random Combos into the show.<p>

"So, are we done?" I asked as I stood in a Random Combo using the Lion, Gorilla and Tako Medals.

"We just have to test the black ones," Louise replied, pulling out the Cores in question. "Feel up to it or are the Random Combos draining you?"

"Uh…" I pondered, feeling my arms and legs while testing for any kind of fatigue or signs of injury. "Nope! Feel fine."

"Good," Louise nodded, holding up one of the black Cores. "Try this one next."

Louise tossed the black Medal to me, which I caught easily. I looked at it and found that it was the Sasori Medal, used to change my helmet's armour. Shrugging, I removed the Lion medal from its slot before slipping the black Medal inside. I was never too sure if the Black Cores really would work since Eiji never got the chance to use them in the movie special. They had been used by the Nobunaga clone to become the Armoured Warrior Inhumanoid. There was no real explanation where they came from, possibly making them prototype Core Medals since there were only three. I had nine, meaning I could create a proto-Greeed if I wasn't careful.

"Here goes," I sighed before swiping the O-Scanner across my buckle.

"**SASORI!**"

"**GORILLA!**"

"**TAKO!**"

The three crests appeared and then fused together before forming on my chest. My helmet immediately began to shift and change. As usual, most of the helmet was black, but the decorations weren't as I expected. On either side of my mouthpiece, which remained black was a dark grey set of scorpion pinchers. My eyes were yellow and had three yellow lines running along from them to my temples. Where the bridge of my nose would be was a scorpion's head while its back was on my forehead with a yellow gemstone mounted on it with its legs running on top of my eye pieces. The last part was the scorpion's tail which went up to the top of my head and down to where my neck and skull connected. I could feel the tip of it just resting there, almost as if it could move.

For all I knew at the moment, it could.

"Well, this is new," I commented, running my hands over my new helmet.

"Any idea what it does?" asked Louise, looking curious at my new helmet.

"Just give me a second and we'll find out," I replied, trying to concentrate. Half the time I was in my armour, the various functions of the Medals would activate on their own. I tried to concentrate on pushing power into the Sasori Head in hopes of finding out what it did. I had to keep working on it since this would likely be a new weapon for me and-!

Suddenly a clicking and hissing noise echoed in my ears as black energy began to run up into my helmet. Well, that answered my question.

Turning to the wall, I reared back my head as if I was going to headbutt it if I was closer, but I kept my distance. I then lashed my head forward and of course I could only take it so far. However, that was when the tail mounted on my head continued going, actually getting longer, and cracked like a whip in the air before the stinger struck against the wall, making a small spider web of cracks. A single jerk of my head pulled the tail back, but more simple lashings of my head caused the tail to snap out again before leaving two more holes in the wall.

One last tug and the tail came back to place itself back on my head. After a moment I registered what I had done.

"Now that was pretty cool," I admitted.

"Ew!" Louise suddenly gagged out. I looked to her and then back to the wall which she was grimacing at. It had taken me a few moments to notice, but I finally saw the black liquid dribbling out of the holes I had made with my Sasori Head. The fluid was little, which was why I hadn't noticed it immediately. I still didn't quite see why Louise was so grossed out.

"I can inject venom with this thing too?" I laughed. "Awesome!"

"It's not…awe-sum! It's gross!" Louise snapped back. "You made it look like the wall's bleeding!"

"Like I knew that was going to happen?" I huffed. "I told you I never used this one before."

"At least we now know," she grimaced.

"This will definitely come in handy," I said, tapping my Sasori Head helmet. "OK, what's next?"

She tossed the Kani Medal to me. Knowing how she didn't want me to use a Full Combo, I suspected she was saving the Ebi Medal for last. By then she would expect me to change one of my Arm or Head Medals to make it a Random Combo. I just wondered what abilities a Full Combo of the black Core Medals would grant me. I would have to convince her to let me try the Combo at least once outside of a combat situation or else it may end up screwing us over.

Shrugging, I removed the Gorilla Medal before replacing it with the Kani Medal. I then scanned the three.

"**SASORI!**"

"**KANI!**"

"**TAKO!**"

* * *

><p>Night had fallen and I was still in the courtyard. Louise had gone ahead to get some sleep, but I was still outside so I could cool off. I had worked up something of a sweat in my suit. I wasn't used to being in it for such a long time before and certainly not enough to soak through my clothes like I had. Fortunately, I wasn't wearing the clothes Louise was generous enough to get me but was instead wearing the clothes I had been summoned in.<p>

In an effort to cool off, I had stuck my head underneath a small fountain which was situated next to the tower that was the girls' dormitories. The water was actually very cool and it was helping with the sweaty feeling I was having. Still, I wouldn't be able to go without a bath tonight and a change of clothes would be nice. I only had my BuraKaWani clothes still, but I was expecting the rest soon.

"Ahhh!" I sighed, pulling my head out of the fountain. "Feeling human again anyway."

"But you almost shake like a wet dog."

"Hm?" I blinked, wiping the water away from my eyes. My vision cleared, I saw that I had a visitor. "Oh, hey Siesta."

The happy maid was standing near me with a towel in her arms. She likely heard or saw me and Louise practicing and decided to bring out the towel. Or at least I hope she did. I could certainly use one after the workout Louise put me through, "Any chance that towel is heading my way?"

"Definitely," Siesta smiled, holding the towel out to me. I gratefully took it and quickly began rubbing the extra water out of my hair.

Getting the hair and towel out of my eyes, I started up the conversation again, "So working hard or hardly working?"

"Hardly working I suppose," Siesta shrugged. "I'm done for the day."

"Well if anyone here deserves some time off it's you and everyone who breaks their backs keeping this place running," I smiled. "I can probably count on one hand the number of nobles here who would probably be able to do the same."

"You're too kind," Siesta smiled, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "I also…wanted to say something…to you."

"I'm all ears," I nodded, turning serious. It sounded like Siesta had something really important to say and for all the help she gave me when I first got here I would definitely be that listener. It was the least I could do for her after all of that.

"I just…wanted to say…that you've really inspired me," Siesta spoke, her cheeks turning brighter and brighter. "I used to think that…us commoners just weren't able to stand up to the nobility no matter what. But then…I saw you do just that. It made me realize that…the impossible really can happen." She smiled, her cheeks being almost like searchlights. "It gave me the courage to keep working for that bright future I dream about." Still smiling, she turned and began walking away. "That's all I wanted to say…goodbye."

"Uh…goodnight then," I nodded, leaving the towel draped over my shoulders. I watched her leave, wondering just why she chose those words to say goodnight.

For some reason it gave me a bad feeling.

* * *

><p><em>Siesta struggled not to cry as she walked away from the boy who managed to give her so much courage and confidence. She didn't want to leave, she really didn't. Still, she wasn't being given a choice. Mott insisted and she couldn't go against his request.<em>

_Still, she had her hope. Things could no doubt eventually get better._

_It was all she had now._

* * *

><p>Another day dawned on the Academy and I was enjoying the hard work of the head chef as he gratefully served me breakfast once again. After I woke up Louise and she left to get breakfast, she gave me her permission to go find something to eat. Honestly, the girl was bi-polar, I was sure of it. Half the time we were close allies and partners like we were yesterday during our practice with the Core Medals, but the other half of the time she was in her noble persona while she acted like I was a manservant or something. It was really annoying.<p>

"Man, this is some good stuff," I grinned, finishing some very nice stew, bread, and even some sausages. "It's no mystery why you got this job."

"Heh, nothing but the best for Our Sword," the head chef grinned. "Saved it for you after we finished making the morning meals. Those noble brats won't probably even notice the difference."

"With how round some of them are, I doubt it," I snickered, making the chef chuckle heartily. I know it was kind of a mean and possibly even discriminatory joke, but considering how those brats tended to talk down on a lot of people and make the servants the butts of jokes sometimes; I really couldn't bring myself to care. Oh, there were of course exceptions like Tabitha, Kirche, Louise, and probably more than a few, but it was the bratty ones that made themselves more noticeable.

"True, true," the chef grinned, crossing his arms. "Seems you've been getting pretty popular lately though."

"Oh yeah?" I asked, reaching for a bun. "Well, after I helped kick Foquet's butt I guess a lot of rumors would start up."

"Oh no, not among the nobles," the chef grinned. "The other maids. They've all been whispering about you."

Uh oh. That was enough to stop me before I could bite into my bun. I had enough girl troubles with Kirche so blatantly trying to seduce me. It wasn't unpleasant by any means, but it tended to…wear out a guy, "So…what were they talking about?"

"Oh, they were just wondering if you were going to start hanging out with them or which one will make a move on you first," the chef shrugged. "A lot of them were hoping for the spot ever since they heard that Siesta's leaving and-"

"HMPH!" I choked, having just bitten into my bun. Did I just hear that right?-! Coughing the bread down my windpipe, I managed to keep myself from choking to death as I got my voice back. "What? –cough- Siesta's leaving the castle?-!"

"She didn't tell you about it?" the burly man blinked. I shook my head, prompting him to explain. "It kind of hit us out of the blue. She just told us that she was heading off to work for Count Mott. She left this morning by carriage."

"But…why would she just up and leave all of a sudden?" I sputtered. That sure didn't sound like the happy maid I had gotten to know.

"Because in the end, we have to obey the nobles," the chef sighed. Crossing his arms, he walked to where the rest of the kitchen staff were working on the next meal before he began calling orders out to them.

I frowned as I watched the man go, that bad feeling I got the previous night getting stronger.

* * *

><p>"Count Mott?" Louise asked. She was sitting at her vanity table brushing her hair. I hadn't been able to talk to her all day since her classes ran long and now the sun was beginning to set. I was only just now beginning to ask her for information that I needed to know. "Yes, I know of him. He's an Imperial Messenger so he drops by the academy from time to time to deliver messages. He's incredibly bossy and I for one can't stand him. I don't think anyone can."<p>

"Okay, but why would Siesta just drop everything here to go work for him?" I asked, leaning against her window with my arms crossed. "Was the pay just that good or something?"

"Well," Derflinger suddenly spoke up from where I laid him down on my straw bed. He was still rusted…I was gonna have to clean him up at some point. "If a noble suddenly asks for a female Servant specifically like I'm guessing this Mott guy did then he's probably going to make her into his mistress."

"W-WHAT?-!" I cried, losing my composure completely. "He's going to turn Siesta into his mistress? Seriously? And she just accepted it?"

"Probably not," Derflinger sighed. "But the nobles in this country can make the commoners do whatever they want, and they can't exactly say no."

"…" I gaped, having lost my voice. "Please tell me this is one sick joke, or at least that Mott is close to our ages."

"I think he's in his thirties," Louise answered. "I heard rumours about this sort of thing, but there are nobles of all kinds…"

"He isn't a noble!" I snapped, ferociously I might add.

"Eh?" Louise blinked as she turned, but then she paled slightly. I didn't really blame her. I was feeling downright murderous right now and I had no doubt it was leaking through every pore in my body. I was thoroughly enraged and disgusted to hear that this…freak, Mott just decided to pluck Siesta up and force her to become his bed toy all because he was a noble. He was a man in his thirties and he was trying to bed a teenage girl like Siesta!

"He is a disgusting, lecherous, vile piece of filth!" I snarled. "If this was my home country, he would be locked up in the worst prison for even trying something like this! Just who the fuck does this pervert think he is?-!" I turned my gaze to Louise, who squeaked in fright. "Why does Henrietta let this happen?-!"

My accusation managed to snap her out of her fright, replacing it with indignant fury, "Her Majesty would never let such gross misconduct go on! She-!"

"Then why is it happening?-! Why is Mott able to do this then?-!" I roared back, beginning to walk closer to her. "Why is it that no one's trying to do anything?-!"

"It's probably because she doesn't know, Partner!" Derflinger shouted, causing Louise and I to turn to the rusted sword. Seeing he had interrupted us for the moment, the sword kept trying to keep us from doing anything violent by explaining. "I'm a good judge of character and the princess is definitely not the type to let this happen. Problem is though that I bet a few of her advisors are. They probably believe that load of horse dung that being noble entitles them to everything. It's been a while since I've seen royalty in action, but I remember that issues the royalty deals with are cleared by the advisors first. I'd bet those advisors hide complaints like that from her since they either do the same thing themselves and don't want to get the wrong kind of attention for it or they just don't believe it since they think nobles can do no wrong."

"Nnnnnn!" I growled. So at least if Henrietta found out about it then she'd likely do something about it. The problem was that her advisors would try to hide it from her since they didn't want any reputations ruined or their unofficial benefits stopped. I guess I could go straight to her, any guards of advisors be damned but that would take too long and who knew what Mott was doing to Siesta right now! "Fine! If those assholes in court won't man up and do their jobs so Henrietta can do hers, then I'll do it!" I stomped over to Deflinger before strapping him over my shoulder and then grabbed my Medal Book from the table. As I adjusted Derflinger's sheathe strap, I looked at the pinkette, "Louise, where can I find Mott?"

"Matthew, what do you plan to do if I tell you?" asked Louise in response, but her voice was neutral so I wasn't sure if she'd want to help me or try to stop me.

"Simple," replied. I really didn't have any patience for her right now. "I'm going to go to where Mott is and make him give back Siesta. If I find him touching her, I'll break his hand before simply taking her. If I find worse, I'll break his neck!"

I had said I had hated or wanted to kill something plenty of times in my life. Before, it was a juvenile and immature way to vent how angry I was at something or someone. Right now though, I meant every word of it.

…and that scared me.

* * *

><p><em>Louise gulped as she tried to stay brave in the face of her furious Familiar. To be perfectly honest, she didn't blame him in the least. She thought such behaviour of nobles forcing innocent girls to be their pleasure toys was just disgusting and unbecoming of their station. It was wrong, and particularly demeaning to those girls who had the so-called 'honour' of being a noble's mistress. Unfortunately, she could understand what Derflinger said about the royal advisors. Henrietta would of course never permit such behaviour from her subjects and would likely crush Mott for it under the full extent of the law. However, if it was revealed what Mott was doing, it would tarnish the good name of the Tristainian nobility and possibly have far-reaching consequences in the international community. So Louise could guess why the advisors did it. After all, what was the well-being of a few commoners to the smooth running of the nation?<em>

_Not something Henrietta would consider a fair trade._

"_Louise, I won't ask again," Matthew snarled at her, bringing her mind back to the present. "Tell me where I can find Mott, NOW!"_

_And then he was gone._

_It was only for a heartbeat, but Louise saw that her Familiar had been replaced by…creatures. Standing in her room, lounging at various spots were odd animal-human creatures covered from head to toe in armour. She first thought that they were suits but they were too detailed, too…flesh-like to be suits. They were in different shapes and sized, but one thing that all shared was the black buckle belt with the gold medallion in the centre._

_Standing next to her, apparently examining her features in the mirror was a female creature which looked like it had a black and white fish for a head and a blue visor for eyes. It wore deep blue armour while a blue cape ran down her shoulders. An octopus hung on her shoulders while it seemed that an eel was wrapped around her neck. Her legs were covered in thigh-high boots that looked like they were fashioned from tentacles of some sort._

_Sitting on the hay bed she had made for her familiar was a large hulking brute covered from head to toe in thick grey armour which was large and thick on the torso while its legs were thick and looked somewhat trunk-like. Its face sported a black visor with two small tusks and a short curled nose which hid its mouth from view. He seemed to be amusing himself by playing with the straw, seeing how many things he could poke or how he could break it._

_Leaning against the far wall was an insect-like creature with jagged horns and a green visor for eyes. Its torso armour was bright green on the front and the rest was black with long feelers running from the shoulders. His one arm had jagged blades mounted to the armour while his legs were covered in armour similar to his torso, making the limbs look muscled enough that it could jump a ridiculous amount of feet into the air._

_Kneeling at her table and playing with a saucer was a cat-like monster. It had a red visor for eyes with the rest of its head looking like a black and grey metal helmet. Thick black cords ran from the back of its head to simulate hair. Its chest was covered in black armour which had metal studs on them with arms covered in black gauntlets with more metal studs on them with sharp nails extending from the front like a cat's claws would. Its legs were covered partial in black and partially in silver fabric, making them look light and fast._

_Sitting at her windowsill was a bird-like creature. Its head looked like someone had slipped a falcon's head over its own for a helmet with a green visor in its mouth. On the right side of its head was what seemed to be like orange hair covering the bird's eye like it was stylized. Under the bird's beak was an orange-skinned mouth, probably the only thing about it that seemed remotely human. The creature wore a red vest which covered most of its torso while its legs looked like proper leggings, albeit with bird-like feet coming out at the bottom._

_Lastly, standing where her Familiar had been was the most human of them all. Its torso was covered in polished silver armour with curved shoulders and a black cape running down its back. They were trimmed with gold while it seemed like thin legs covered in a shell of some sort decorated the chest with a skull in the very centre. Its right hand ended in a silver gauntlet with the limb being covered in black imperial-looking fabric, holding a sword while the left hand was in fact a red crab claw. The feet were covered in silver boots with silver spikes covering them, making the limbs look inhuman. Lastly, the creatures head was covered in a pointed helmet with a gold scorpion just above the brow and two blades like a brim of a hat coming from below while its face looked like that of a demon ready to charge._

"_Tell me where he is, Louise!" the creatures snarled at her as one._

_Then they were gone, and Matthew was back._

"_G-G-Guiche," Louise managed to sputter out. "H-H-H-His family is in the m-m-military so they deal with Mott often so to send messages to the king and queen in the past. He'd know where Mott is."_

_Matthew was silent for a moment before he nodded and exited the room, no doubt to find where the playboy was. As he left, Louise collapsed into her chair, feeling like she had just stared down Eleanor who was suffering through 'that' time of the month…multiplied by fifty or even one hundred! She didn't feel truly threatened, but what she saw terrified her all the same._

_What were those creatures?_

* * *

><p>I stomped through the academy, looking for the blonde playboy. The other students who were still out and about seemed to catch onto my murderous intent as I traversed the halls. They all wisely decided to keep out of my way. I hated feeling the way I did at the moment, feeling like I wanted to puke with all of the rage and such I was feeling. I wasn't going to do it though. I had more important things to worry about and all of my pent up murderous intent would help me keep pushing for what I was going to do.<p>

I didn't quite know what Guiche got up to in his spare time, and if the situation weren't so bad I wouldn't have cared. Still, with classes done for the day I decided to check out the common areas. It was one of the places where the students could socialize with one another rather than in class and distract themselves. It was of course artistically decorated, as was everything in the castle so to befit the noble children who went to learn there. Paintings on the ways, exotic plants, and even a decorative fountain which was big enough people could sit on the edges. It was at that fountain which I spotted a familiar pair of blondes.

"How fabulous! A broach made of Mithrill!"

"Don't you think it would look just beautiful on you?"

Yep, that was the guy I was looking for. It seemed he and Montmorency were sharing some time alone together and he got her a gift. Likely he wanted to try and get back into her good books after the incident I revealed of her and that mess he got into with the Hawk Yummy. Frankly, I didn't have much faith for him getting Montmorency to take him back but there were girls of all types and if anyone could smooth-talk his way back into a girl's good graces, it would be Guiche.

Too bad I was going to have to cut in.

"Guiche."

At the sound of my voice, the blonde gave off a rather feminine shriek as he tumbled off of his perch and fortunately onto the ground. He was on his feet in a flash, looking a little panicked. Montorency on the other hand wasn't panicked, but looked like she was unsure if she should be laughing at Guiche's little freak out, or be upset at me for interrupting their alone time together. So far, it seemed her amusement was winning out.

"A-ah! S-Sir MacGregor! How can I help?"

Wait…**Sir **MacGregor? WTF? Did I put the fear of god into him or was it simply because of the hateful raw emotion that was pumping through my veins? I wasn't exactly being subtle about how I was feeling at the moment. Still, it would likely work out for me anyway. Someone who was afraid of you was less likely to lie in fear of you being angry at them. I'd probably feel bad about terrorizing him though, so I made a mental note to apologize for it later.

"I have a simple question I need you to answer Guiche," I spoke, trying to make an effort not to sound like I wanted to rip the boy limb from limb like I wanted to Count Mott. "I expect a quick answer. My question is this: Where can I find Count Mott?"

"Count Mott?" Guiche blinked, confused as to of all things, why I was asking about the man. "That arrogant braggart? Why would you want to know where he is?"

Wow, even Guiche thought this guy was arrogant? He must have been one piece of work, "It's best that you not know. Still, I have some…business with him and I need to know where I can find him. I was told that your family deals with him so now I ask you where I can find him."

I heard rumors say that Guiche was thick-headed. I think they were proven wrong as understanding came across his face at my words.

* * *

><p>Guiche had been very informative. Not only did he tell me where Count Mott's mansion was, he gave me directions from the academy to the place. He seemed to catch onto the fact that I was pissed as hell at Count Mott and cooperated completely with me by giving me what I needed. Montmorency didn't even raise a stink about Guiche helping me, apparently catching onto the mood as well. I had a feeling that Mott's activities weren't as secret to the public as they were to his superiors outside of his friends.<p>

After Guiche gave me the direction I headed outside of the academy and was walking towards the front gates. They weren't locked despite the guards being there. Still, the students were allowed to come and go as the pleased, being privileged nobles and all. Fortunately, that privilege extended to me as well since I was bound to Louise who despite her lack of talent in magic thus far, still counted as a member of the nobility.

"Hey, Partner," Derflinger spoke up, wiggling himself out of his sheathe again. "You sure you want to do this? This isn't like fighting Foquet. Mott's in the service of the crown and if you plan on taking him on then there's going to be consequences."

"Everything we do has consequences," I replied. "We just have to man up and be ready to accept them. I'm not going to back down from this. I won't let this guy touch Siesta." My following smirk would have made people cringe at the sight. "Besides, it seems like Mott needs to learn a lesson on consequences himself."

"Ha! Looks like I picked a good partner then!" Derflinger laughed. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's save the maiden from that pervert!"

"Took the words right out of my mouth," I nodded, opening my Medal Book. Plucking out three Medals, I began to slot them into my Driver. Locking it in place, I grabbed the O-Scanner and prepared to activate their power, "Hen-!"

"Wait!"

I froze before turning to see who had called me. I couldn't help but roll my eyes as I saw Louise running towards me. Turning to face her, I sighed while crossing my arms, "I sincerely hope you didn't follow me this far to try and talk me out of this."

"Of course not!" Louise huffed. "I'm going with you!"

"What?" I blinked.

"You heard me," the pinkette replied. "I said I am going with you. After giving the issue some thought, I decided that if indeed Mott is forcing Siesta to become his mistress, then it is a serious breach of conduct expected of nobles and cannot be tolerated."

"Uh-huh," I blinked. She was talking in her noble persona again, making me think that she was trying to paint an image for me. Was she really just worried about Siesta after I drove home the reality of the situation to her? I certainly appreciated the thought, but… "Louise, I think it would be better if you stayed out of this one."

"What?-!" she squawked, immediately outraged. "Listen here, Familiar! I am your master! You obey my orders and I order you to bring me with you to see Count Mott!"

Did she really thing that was going to work? "Denied," Louise of course began to turn red as she built up a head of steam at my blatant refusal. Luckily, I had figured a good way to defuse this bomb. "Louise, tell me something; if a noble's Familiar did something to get in trouble, who would be the one who got blamed? The Familiar, or its master?"

"Huh?"

"Louise, despite how I act and such I am still considered your Familiar," I sighed. "That means that if something goes down and I get blamed, you'll likely suffer the consequences. Luckily though, the only people who know I'm your Familiar are the students and teachers at this school. Mott has no clue about that so if things get…difficult then he'll be none the wiser about my true role and think some rogue managed to figure out what he was doing and lucked into a method I could use to stop him."

Louise blinked, but frowned since she could obviously see where I was coming from with the argument I was making. Familiars were considered to be an extension of their masters. Naturally, if a Familiar got in trouble then it truly would be blamed on its master for not being better. I had a feeling that Mott and I were likely going to come to blows over his intentions for Siesta and while I was more than willing to deal with the consequences of protecting her from the letch, I didn't want Louise to get into trouble. She was having enough troubles without me getting her into more.

"But-!" she tried to argue.

"No buts," I interrupted, raising the O-Scanner again. "If all else fails, you can send a message directly to Princess Henrietta and hopefully she'll step in. Now please let me do what I have to do," I then swiped the Scanner across my Medals. "Henshin."

"**TAKA!**"

"**TORA!**"

"**CHEETAH!**"

Louise stepped back as the emblems of my three Medals appeared before her, merging together and then forming my armour around me. Again, the hawk and tiger sections were there, but this time my legs were encased up to the thighs in flat and aerodynamic yellow armour which had black spots running up the sides. The feet were made of silver steel and styled to look like a cat's feet, appropriate since I was using the Cheetah Legs.

"If I'm not back by daylight, then find some way to contact Princess Henrietta quickly. If she's as good a friend as I've seen, she'd make time for you," I ordered. Turning away from Louise, I prepared to get moving. "I'll see you later."

"Matthew!" Louise cried.

Whatever Louise said next I couldn't hear since I took off running. The Cheetah Legs activated immediately, allowing me to race down the dirt roads the country used, leaving a trail of dust as I went. Thanks to the Cheetah Medal's power, I'd be at the Count's place in no time.

* * *

><p><em>Siesta withheld the urge to shudder as she worked about in the Count's mansion. It had been her hope that by showing she was a good maid, he'd forget about making her his mistress. A commoner she may have been, but she wasn't stupid. Mott had asked for her by name and she had actually received her own quarters along with very fine clothes to work in as well as furniture. The Count did not want her as his maid, but as a bed partner.<em>

_Of course, it seemed her plan wasn't working out that well. When she had to let him know that she had completed the tasks set out for her, he made a sleazy show of nuzzling up to her and whispering in her ear as if he were her lover!_

"_Don't work yourself too hard. I didn't hire you for your services as a maid," he had whispered to her._

_Blegh! Just having him touch her made her skin crawl. She just wanted to run away, but he'd probably have her tracked down and captured. Then he wouldn't nearly be as merciful since his pride would have been wounded by her actions. She knew from many stories that when a noble's pride was wounded, terrifying things happened to the people regardless if they were responsible or not. So she would have to try and get detached from herself if she wanted to survive…_

…_why did this have to happen to her?_

* * *

><p>I skidded to a halt not far from Mott's estate. Guiche had been right, it wasn't easy to miss. The place was huge! It looked like a mansion some stuffy European would live in…which considering the culture I had seen this far, wasn't too far from the truth. Still, Mott was this much of a bigwig to afford all of this when he was really just a messenger boy? Just how much did Princess Henrietta pay him? If this was the result of the income of an Imperial Messenger, what did the likes of generals and advisors make?<p>

Still, admiring aside, I still had to get into the place so I could track Mott down. Sure, my Cheetah Legs would let me move fast but I couldn't go so fast that I would be invisible. Guards would see me, and there were a lot of them around the place. I could have just used my speed to sneak up and knock them out, but that was an idea that left a somewhat bitter taste in my mouth. Sure these guys probably knew what Mott was doing, but they were hardly in a position to do anything about it. No, hurting them just because it was their bad luck to work for the pervert wasn't going to do.

Part of me just wanted to change to PuToTyra and just tear the place, and Mott, apart before I took Siesta back to the academy. Still, that would just make the problem way worse and turn me into a fugitive. No, I was going to have to at least get an audience with Mott to first see if there wasn't any way I could convince him to let her go (which I sincerely doubted) and failing that, make him let her go.

"Time for the diplomatic approach then," I sighed. Steeling my resolve, I began walking towards the mansion, making sure that the guards would be able to see me. Just to go the extra mile, I removed my O-Driver, dismissing my transformation. The lights accompanying the transformation would definitely catch their attention.

"Hey! Who are you?"

Yup, they noticed.

I approached the main gate of the estate, which was of course guarded. There, I was noticed by the guards who immediately blocked my path as I got closer to their employer's home. As much as my more aggressive side wanted me to just punch them out and go on my merry way, I restrained myself.

"My name is Matthew MacGregor," I replied coldly. "I have business with Count Mott. Business that will not wait."

I suppose it helped my case that I was in my BuraKaWani outfit instead of my Eiji Hino outfit. I looked more like a noble than I did when I first arrived in Halkeginia. With the light show that my armour made when I arrived, no doubt they really did think I was a noble. Well, I hope they did at least.

The two stared at me for a moment before they glanced at one another. After a moment, they both nodded and turned their attention back. The guard on my left broke his stance and gestured me to follow him, "Follow me. Count Mott is in his study at the moment. I will guide you to the sitting room before having someone let him know about your arrival."

"Very well," I nodded.

With the guard leading the way, I was led into the mansion. Inside was predictably extravagant, with pottery, metal art, and whatever nobles considered tasteful. What I did notice was several portraits involving a man in several events such as standing on a cliff being covered in a pillar of light, noble posturing, and bowing before royal figures. In each picture, the man was in fact the same person in every portrait. He looked to be a pompous fellow with brown hair that looked like it was cut short to hide how it was thinning. He also had curly eyebrows and moustache.

"Count Mott seems to have a certain…expectation in his portraits," I muttered.

"The man can't seem to get enough of himself," the guard grumbled, talking under his breath. "I do not envy that poor maid he just hired. Hopefully he'll get bored with her quickly so she won't have to degrade herself for long."

"So you don't approve of his habits either," I commented, keeping a neutral face.

"No. The number of maids he goes through is sickening. Either he grows bored with them and sends them away or they can't take it anymore and quit," the guard hissed. "Too bad we can't do anything about it. Despite how pompous he is, he's a Triangle Class water mage. None of us would stand a chance."

"No one except another mage," I replied.

"Yeah, but what noble would give a damn about one commoner girl?" growled the guard. "No one around here, that's for sure."

Well, well, it seemed that even Mott's own guards didn't think too highly of him. Then again, if even other nobles didn't like him I shouldn't be surprised that he had no fans in the commoner population. Still, this might be an unexpected boon for me.

"So what if a magic user did come specifically to stop Mott's habits and if there was enough proof, report him to Princess Henrietta?" I asked rhetorically.

The guard turned his head and looked at me strangely for a moment before turning his attention back to where he was going, "If such a mage did come, IF mind you, it would be my head if I let him see anything which could prove Mott's abuse of authority. Then again, if I was distracted by something that mage told me about his reasons for visiting I might just accidentally take him to the wrong room. This place can be like a maze sometimes and it's easy to get lost even if you do pass through all the time."

"I see," I nodded. Way to be subtle I suppose. He could guess that I was coming to pick a fight with Mott over something, but he wanted to be absolutely sure that I was there for personal reasons and not for ones such as being paid, bribed, or what not which Mott could easily get out of by paying me more. He wanted to know if I had a personal stake in the situation. That I could explain. "A friend of mine started working here just this morning. She's something of a dear friend, probably the first I made when I came to Tristain. I want to make sure she's being treated right and all. If she's not…well, I know how to make myself noticed by the right people."

"The right people you say?" asked the guard.

"Yes. I guess you can call me a ward of the Valliere family," I replied, noticing the man suddenly stiffen and almost give himself whiplash from the way he looked at me but then turned back to avoid looking suspicious. It seemed Louise's family had some pull like I thought. I suppose you did if the royal family thought you were good enough to have your children mingle with the princess. "The youngest daughter is actually a friend to the princess I hear. Anything she hears would go straight to the top."

The guard was silent for a moment, possibly considering his options. It likely wouldn't be an easy choice to make in reality even though morally it would be. A lot of commoners probably lived hard lives and being a guard for a noble like Mott probably wasn't an easy position to get despite how easy in practice it was. The money would of course be nothing to sneeze about and the guy probably either had to support himself, a family, or relatives with what he made from Mott's money. Still, watching Mott drool over his maids probably wasn't easy to do for anyone with a conscience. If he was going to put his livelihood on the line, he would have to be sure it was a guarantee.

After a lengthy moment of silence as we walked down the hall to a corner, he abruptly changed direction and began heading towards a nearby staircase rather than continuing down the hallway, "This way sir. The meeting room _should_ be right this way."

It seems my words were enough of a guarantee.

We had reached the second floor of the mansion, showing more artwork with Mott doing something in the images. The man truly did think too highly of himself. The guard and I didn't speak anymore. We would have to save speaking for what was going to come next. I was eventually led to a pair of double doors which looked just as ornate as the rest of the house. To be honest, I never would have pegged it as any kind of special room since it looked just like everything else; expensive and snobbish. Maybe it was me, but at this point I was pretty sure I could even smell the arrogance of the building…or maybe I was just going a little overboard?

"Prepare yourself for something you probably won't like seeing," the guard warned under his breath. Heaving a sigh, he spoke up again while reaching from the door handle. "Count Mott, you have a guest!"

"What?-!"

"Ah!"

The guard didn't lose his nerve as he turned the door handle and opened both of the doors so the two of us could see inside. Inside was a sight that I wished I never had to see in the first place and hoped I would never have to see again. Inside the room, standing in front of the desk were two people. The first was Siesta, wearing what I assumed to be the outfit maids wore in the Mott Estate. However, her face was bright red and she looked absolutely mortified. The reason for this? Well, her breasts were being thoroughly groped by a pair of hands belonging to the man behind her who was more or less a dead ringer for the guy in the portraits, save for maybe a few more wrinkles and possibly a wider stomach.

For a moment, no one said or did anything.

Then I started seeing red, my teeth beginning to grind together while my fury grew. I had suspected that this would be the case, knew what Mott was intending, was prepping myself for it this whole time…but seeing the reality of it almost made it impossible for me to think.

Siesta began to whimper as tears came to her eyes, "Please…don't look at me…"

"Siesta…" I began.

"Who are you?" demanded Mott, untangling himself from Siesta and nudging her to the side like a pet who was in the way. "How dare you come into my home?-!"

"I don't give my name to scum," I growled back.

"What?-!" Mott cried out, turning bright red with rage. "How dare you?-!"

"How dare I?" I growled, stepping past my guide towards the flustered noble. "You stand there, molesting an innocent girl who is far too young for you in my opinion. You humiliate her by forcing her to accept your advances, and when you get caught you show absolutely no shame at doing such? Yet you stand there and be insulted when I treat you as I see you deserved to be treated?" My voice was ending in a near bestial snarl. "You dare call yourself a noble when you cannot even control your basic urges? You are no noble! You are a hormonal and perverted degenerate!"

"What I do with my servants is no one's business but my own!" Mott snapped back, stomping towards me. "She is my property! I can do whatever I want to her! I am a noble! She should be honoured that I am lavishing my attention on her!"

"Yeah, a slavering old man who would no doubt steal her virginity and likely give her a reputation as a loose woman and ruin her chances of finding a proper husband after you get tired of her," I growled back. "What an honour that is! You overstep your boundaries, Mott!"

"I overstep nothing!" Mott snapped back, actually reaching that high-pitched whiney voice that only spoiled people could reach. Man, I must have been really pissing him off. Good. "I am a noble! The Imperial Messenger! I can do whatever I like! It's my right!"

Oh how much I just wanted to deck that spoiled asshole right then and there. Still, while beating him up and taking Siesta would be the most preferable course of actions, it would only give him an excuse to bring the law down on me. If Princess Henrietta would be the one judging my trial, I knew I would get a fair one. If her advisors were hiding it from her though, she probably wouldn't even be told that anything was the matter unless Louise got involved and likely those politicians might try to stonewall her there too. No, this was going to need a level of grace I had come to appreciate with nobles. To be honest, it was the only idea I had that may work out towards a good ending…and I got it while I was talking with Guiche.

Yeah, I was a little worried about it too.

"I see appealing to your sense of shame won't work since you obviously have none," I growled, once again sounding rather beast-like. Inhaling deeply, I stood tall and straight with rigid posture. "Imperial Messenger Count Jour de Mott, I Matthew MacGregor, the bearer of the title Kamen Rider OOO, hereby challenge you to a duel. Should you win, I will formally apologize to you for all of my insults tonight, I will forget everything I have seen, and shall never speak of this again. Should I win, Siesta will pack up her belongings and leave with me immediately."

There, I said it as calmly and as stiffly as I could, hopefully like how a noble would do it. I looked the part and I had magic so hopefully he'd buy is as Mott's face was still stuck in its deep scowl, but the flush was leaving as he managed to regain his own composure. After a moment of getting his thoughts together, he schooled his features and looked at me, "Accepted, but on the added condition that should I win then you will assist me in a task that I need accomplished."

"Agreed," I nodded. Hey, this was going better than I thought it would anyway. Might as well agree so the guy will actually commit to the duel. "No spell is forbidden, no weapon is taboo. Come at me with your best so you can't say you weren't prepared."

"All I need is my staff," Mott replied, walking to the corner of the room where he picked up a wooden cane which had blue paint on the handle and a rounded wooden tip. "We will duel in the courtyard right now."

"Very well," I nodded. "Then let's be off."

* * *

><p><em>Siesta couldn't help but tremble as she followed Matthew and Count Mott through the halls of the estate towards the courtyard. Only a few moments ago, Mott finally couldn't contain himself anymore and started touching her while whispering about how he couldn't wait to take her to his room. She feared that her chastity and her virginity were going to be things of the past very soon. Thankfully, they were interrupted by one of the guards and Matthew coming into the room.<em>

_Siesta had never felt so relieved, yet so ashamed in her life. Yes, Mott had stopped molesting her but Matthew walked in on them and saw her in the arms of such a lecherous man. She just wanted to shrivel up and die just to make him stop looking at her. He looked so incredibly angry and for a brief second, his eyes changed into a range of different colours. Siesta had for a moment feared that he was angry at her for letting Mott touch her like he was. That thought thankfully died when he started yelling at Mott, calling him a large number of insulting names._

_She couldn't help but stare as the two men argued. She never heard anyone call a noble such slanderous names before and not get attacked immediately. Seeing Matthew standing so tall and firm, not backing down to Mott's rage, it made Siesta think she was looking at two nobles who were fighting. _

_Matthew's challenge was perhaps the most shocking thing of all! He blatantly challenged Mott to a duel and put everything on the line. While she was still incredibly nervous about everything, she was feeling hope swell inside of her chest. This could be her chance to get away, to be saved from Mott's wandering hands and his lecherous whispers. Just like in the books she had read in her spare time both at home in the academy, a knight had come to rescue her._

"_Mathew…" she murmured. "Please win."_

* * *

><p>Mott and I stood across from each other in his courtyard, which was like the rest of his house flashy, expensive, and snobby. Pure white cobblestone paths sprawled all over the place with perfectly manicured bushes in the shapes of animals and there were even three decorative fountains decorated with birds, dragons, and winged horses all pouring water into the fountain. Obviously a lot of care went into perfecting such a green space. It almost made me feel bad knowing I'd destroy at least a small portion of it tonight. At the courtyard walls, the guards were watching us as were the ones near the house who managed to spot us moving along. Siesta was at the doorway leading into the courtyard, looking quite pale again.<p>

"You will regret speaking the way you have to me, boy!" Mott shouted from the distance we had from each other.

"Then show me the might of a Triangle Class mage," I shouted back. "And I will show you my magic!"

"Bah! You will regret those words!" Mott bellowed, raising his staff. The water from the fountains immediately leaped to life and began shooting streams to just above the staff's tip, forming a large ball of water.

"Tsk!" I grimaced. Acting quickly, I retrieved my O-Driver and strapped it to my waist. I already had three Medals picked out and slipped them into their proper slots. While Mott was collecting water from the fountains, I grabbed the O-Scanner and swiped it across the Driver. "Henshin!"

"**TAKA!**"

"**TORA!**"

"**BATA!**"

"**TA-TO-BA TATOBA TA-TO-BA!**"

I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the looks people wore on their faces when they witnessed me transform into OOO for the first time. They would gape at me, with eyes wide as dinner plates, and start stuttering as they tried to re-evaluate what they thought they knew. That was the look I caught on Mott's face as he saw the three rings of circular medals spin around me before the three Core Medal projections fused to become my O-Lung Crest and smash against me to form my armor.

He looked like a gaping fish. It was too bad that it wasn't enough to make him forget his spell, since the orb of water he had collected was simply spinning. Still, it was a perfect opening for me since he had been distracted by the transformation. Clenching my fists, I charged towards the pervert with the intent of taking him down in one blow and taking back Siesta!

"Bwuh?" Mott gaped, but my movement seemed to snap him out of his stupor. Gritting his teeth, he pointed his staff at me while activating his magic. Immediately, streams of water surged towards me at rapid speeds. No doubt they were highly pressurized too, meaning they would hurt if they hit me. Luckily, I had a countermeasure for that.

Activating the power of my Batta Legs, I easily leaped out of the way of the first stream, letting it burrow a muddy hole in the dirt. Coming to land on the ground again, I would have kept charging at him were it not for a second stream of water coming at me as quickly as the first. With my reflexes as sharp as they were thanks to the armour, I managed to leap out of the streams direction to roll along the grass, but found a third stream coming at me. Cursing, I leaped straight up with the Batta legs taking me high into the air hopefully far enough that it would surprise Mott and let me get the drop on him.

"Ha ha! I have you now fool!"

Maybe not.

Looking down, I saw Mott raise up his staff and this time generate three streams from the shrinking orb hovering above the staff. I was in the middle of the air and had no means of escaping my trajectory since I wasn't using any of the Medals which would allow me to move in the air. I had never felt more like a sitting duck as I did then when the streams hit me with the force of bullets.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

I tumbled through the air like a bird that had been shot before crashing into the dirt with enough force to make a cloud of dust. Pain echoed from both my back and my front with the impacts I had been dealt. My vision was swimming for a moment and it felt like the breath had been knocked out of my lungs.

"MATTHEW!" I heard Siesta scream.

"…ow," I groaned, beginning to struggle to my feet. "Not quite going the way I pictured it."

"No plan ever does when it meets the enemy," Derflinger grunted out, sounding sore himself. I figured he must have since I had landed on my back when I hit. "You okay?"

"I'll live," I shrugged off the pain I was feeling. Finally getting to my feet, I saw Mott standing there looking quite smug in the fact that he had hit me. Did he already think he had won this simply because he had managed to land a hit? Okay, a painful one but it was still only one hit! "Gonna need a new strategy."

TaToBa was a great way to feel out my opponent's strengths and weaknesses, but unless they were mediocre themselves then I was eventually going to have to swap out Medals in order to better adapt to my opponent. TaToBa just didn't specialize in anything beyond being better than the average fighter. Right now, I was going to need a better set of skills to fight Mott with. I couldn't only jump so much so fast. Eventually his streams would catch up to me.

"I'll give you a strategy!" Mott laughed as he looked down on me, figuratively. "Surrender! You can't win against a mage of my calibre no matter what artefact you use!"

"Wanna bet?" I growled. Retrieving the Medal Book from where it was attached to my waist, how it stayed shut I'll never know, I popped it open and quickly retrieved two new Medals to use. Mott looked on in confusion, obviously wondering what I was doing. Replacing the Tora and Batta Medals with the two of my choice, I locked the buckle into place once again before scanning them with the O-Scanner.

"**TAKA!**"

"**KUJAKU!**"

"**CHEETAH!"**

Once again my armour changed. My legs were once again donned in the yellow armour of the Cheetah Legs. My torso on the other hand was decorated with the red armour of the Kujaku Arms. The centre of the emblem on my chest appeared to look like a small head surrounded by flame-like wings or feathers which was topped by my Taka emblem and had the Cheetah emblem at the bottom. My shoulder armour was bright red and came in three layers, making them appear spiked and feather-like. My gauntlets had a similar appearance at the elbows with more red feather-like armour. Red feather-like bands ran down to my wrists which were circled with gold wristbands. The backs of my hands were decorated with more red armour, completing the arms at least.

As the change was completed, my chest emblem flashed before a red circle emerged from it and planted itself onto my left forearm. It solidified and took on the image of a large Medal with the TaJaDol symbol on the front. The end of it facing me had a handle on it which when pulled, would make the hidden insides of the weapon spin. The other end held a chute which would shoot fireballs. They wouldn't be as powerful as they would be if I were in TaJaDol, but they would still do damage.

"Oi, Partner!" Derflinger whined from his sheathe (or holster, or whatever was attached to my back he would sit in when I changed). "What are you using that weapon for? Don't you want to use me to fight?"

"Sorry Aibou, but the Taja Spinner has the range I need right now," I apologized to my sword.

"Hmph!"

Shaking my head, I got Mott back into my sights. The man wasn't as stunned as he had been the first time concerning my changes and had managed to replenish his watery orb. He raised his staff again and began to fire smaller balls of water at me. Each was the size of a large water balloon and would no doubt hurt with the pace they were racing at. I however had my countermeasure and thrust the Taja Spinner out, unleashing several fireballs of equal size at Mott. Water and fire met each other in the air, creating a sizzling noise as steam hovered into the air. Mott wouldn't quit, but neither did I as we continued shooting at one another. Steam began clouding over everything…which gave me an opportunity.

A cat roared into my ear, and my legs began to glow.

With a single dash, I had cleared the steam in a red and yellow blur. Mott had no clue that I was gone. He was still firing his water bullets into the steam. The bullets hit some of the shrubbery, the far wall, and the dirt. No doubt the gardener was going to be pissed when he found out what happened. Well, it really wasn't my problem since Mott couldn't aim without use of his eyes. Racing around behind the stationary mage, I grabbed Derflinger and felt the locks of his sheathe come loose before I yanked him out. With Mott still none the wiser I raced up behind him before grabbing him by the back and yanking him. He made a strange grunting noise before I brought Derflinger out front and held the blade to his throat.

"Ah, that's better Partner," the sword smiled (or would have if he had the parts).

"Happy to serve," I replied, taking care to grab Mott's staff and yank it from his hand. He didn't resist since he had a sword at his throat, probably the first good move I'd seen him make. It made the water ball collapse and soak the ground around us, but I wasn't particularly worried about it. "Now then Count Mott, I believe this makes it my win."

Mott couldn't even speak, he was shocked at what had just happened. It seemed he couldn't comprehend what had happened to him a moment ago and his mind was struggling to catch up with it all. I decided to just wait patiently and let him get accustomed to the idea. He was sputtering slightly with his eyes wide. Glancing over to where Siesta and my guide were watching, it seemed both of them were overcome with awe, but Siesta looked like she was ready to burst out into tears of happiness. Her hands were clenched under her chin and a very bright smile was on her face. Just seeing that smile made all of my rage dissipate in a heartbeat.

Okay, savouring victory was over, "I'm waiting Count Mott."

"Nnn! Rrr!" Mott growled in response. It seemed like he wanted to yell at me or something, but was afraid of what I'd do with the sword at his throat. Still, ego stoking aside it was getting annoying to see the man being ready to, for all intents and purposes, throw a temper tantrum. All he had to do was say three little words… "Guards! Seize him!"

And those were not it god dammit!

The guards immediately left their posts and began charging at me with their weapons raised. It served as a suitable distraction for me and an opportunity for Mott. The man in question pushed Derflinger away from his neck and grabbed his staff from my hand before making a run for it. I would have gone after him, but the first of the guards had already reached me and began swinging at me with their weapons. Sword and axes seemed to have been the preferred choice for the men as they went at me. The men swung and I began running and blocking the blows with the Taja Spinner. I couldn't get enough room to use the Cheetah Legs. Defence was quickly becoming an unviable option if I wanted to get out of this.

Fine! If Mott couldn't stand up to the fact he was losing this duel then I would show him just who he was messing with! I slugged a guard in the face, knocking him into his fellows while I used a backwards kick and launched another into the others so to get some space. I quickly grabbed my Medal Book and looked for three that I would need to kick these guys asses before I went for Mott. Snagging them, I began pulling the Taka, Kujaku, and Cheetah Medals from my belt. Securing them on my side, I grabbed my new choices and quickly slotted them in before reaching for the O-Scanner. Blue light began to shine as the Medals were placed together.

"I got him!"

"OOMPH!" I gasped, feeling something large and heaving hit me from behind. I was knocked off my feet and hit the ground hard. I thankfully wasn't as confused as I had been when Mott's attacks had hit me. I quickly began to struggle so to free my arm, but more and more bodies were starting to pile on top of me.

Damn these guards!

* * *

><p>"<em>Well, that takes care of that," Mott remarked smugly. "I look forward to my apology."<em>

_Siesta thought her heart broke like fine glass as she watched her knight get dogpiled by the guards. That wasn't right! Matthew had won the duel! He had Mott at his mercy! The noble cheated by having all of the other guards fight for him! Matthew had won! She was supposed to be able to leave!_

"_Well my dear," Mott smiled down at the broken-hearted maid. "I think we all need some relief tonight. Perhaps you should go take a bath and get ready for bed? I'll meet up with you momentarily once the brute is taken care of."_

"_Ah…y-y-y…" Siesta began to mumble, feeling her doom looming at her._

_It wasn't fair…_

"_**SHACHI!**__"_

"_**UNAGI!**__"_

"_**TAKO!**__"_

"_**SHA-SHA-SHAUTA! SHA-SHA-SHAUTA!**__"_

_BLOOSH!_

"_WAAAAAAAGH!"_

_The unified screams of the guards caught Siesta and Mott's attention as they saw the pile of men being launched away like pebbles as a geyser of water shot up into the air. The centre of the water spout held a lone figure who had their hands raised into the air. Siesta was once again awestruck as hope began swelling inside her chest once again and this time she was sure it wouldn't be snuffed out._

"_What in the Founder's name?-!" Mott cried in shock._

_The figure in the spout lowered their arms and the pillar of water ended, leaving a slight drizzle over everything. The person was none other than Matthew, just as Siesta had thought! His armour had changed again, this time becoming all blue. She had seen each of the blue pieces of armour in use before, but never all at once! She recalled him saying how powerful he could become by using a Full Combo, but she had also seen the results after he had used that grey combination in the past._

"_Matthew," she whispered. "Please be okay."_

* * *

><p>Well! Some people could be just RUDE!<p>

Honestly! Why couldn't that baby Mott just man up and admit he lost. Instead of being responsible and just taking a loss gracefully, he up and sends his goon squad at me! Ugh, not only was I dogpiled by a bunch of heavy stinky guys, but their outfits were just tacky and totally made them look like faceless goons! Well, that may have been the intention with those uniforms in the first place. Speaking of uniforms, poor Siesta just looks ATROCIOUS in that plain red and yellow outfit Mott stuffed her into. Didn't the man have any fashion sense at all? On sheer aesthetics alone I had to get the poor girl out of this place! She was so much cuter in the academy uniforms anyway!

With the goon squad dealt with thanks to my stylish and totally dramatic transformation, I decided to take care of Mott once and for all. Detaching those just fabulous Unagi Whips from my shoulders, I began to walk towards where Mott and Siesta were. Electricity crackled down the white lengths and snapped in the air. Oh Mott definitely would be feeling these when I got through with him.

"Stay back!" Mott cried, raising his staff up to collect more water.

"Oh I don't think so, buster!" I shouted, bringing my arm back before lashing out with my whip at the spoiled noble. My aim was of course true and it tagged his wrist, bringing out a sharp crackle and a cry of pain. Mott staggered backward, clutching his wrist while his staff lay on the ground. He was trembling like a leaf, probably a mix between fear and electric shock. Twirling my weapons, I merely continued my approach. "Now, now Count Mott, you won't get away from this. You've been a very bad boy after all."

I cracked the whips in the air, making them spark violently.

"And bad boys get punished!"

"EEEEK!"

* * *

><p><em>Louise finally reached the Mott Estate on horseback. It had taken a while for her to get there, but she had managed to do it. She had tried to simply forget what her Familiar was doing and simply wait until morning. If her Familiar had gotten himself hurt or in trouble then it was his own fault. It was what she had told herself for the first hour or so. After that, she just couldn't take it anymore. So just in case Mott was as untrustworthy as certain shushed rumours said about him, she wrote a hurried letter to Henrietta. She didn't want to have to bother her oldest friend with such things, but she needed to make sure Mott wouldn't be able to slip everything under the rug like he did his mistresses.<em>

_After that, she grabbed the first horse she could find in the stables before setting out. She travelled to Mott's estate over the course of a few hours before finally finding the place. She had been expecting either everything to be normal or complete chaos. She knew how angry he was upon leaving and honestly she was sure he would have tried to tear Mott's head off if he was given half the chance. Riding through the front gates, she came to a stop near the front doors and dismounted her horse._

_Why was everything so qui-?_

_WHA-CRACK!_

_WHA-CRACK!_

_WHA-CRACK!_

_BRZZZZAAP!_

"_EEEEEEEK!"_

_Never mind…_

_Louise quickly heard the noise coming from the back of the estate and so quickly began running towards it. She could tell by the noises that someone was getting beaten up and considering the tone of the voice she heard, it was likely Mott. It could have been mistaken as a woman, but Louise was used to hearing Guiche scream when Montmorency was angry at him so she was able to tell the difference between a scream like the one she heard and a true female scream. Coming across to the courtyard gardens, she saw something expected. Guards were lying on the ground and were either unconscious or just not getting up._

_She saw something unexpected though._

"_SOMEONE HELP!" WHA-CRACK! "EEEK!"_

_There was Mott, running away in a panic. He was covered in dirt and angry red welts on his skin. His clothes were unquestionably ruined between rips and soaked with water. He looked like he was fearing for his life. Behind him was her Familiar, but he was in his blue Full Combo. He was calmly jogging behind Mott, holding his whips in his hands and laughing like he was some giddy schoolchild. Every so often, he'd whip at Mott, which just got the man running that much faster to get away._

"_Come on Count!" he laughed, speaking as if in a sing-song tone. "Just say the magic words and this'll stop! I know you want to!"_

_It was probably the strangest thing she had ever seen. It had caused her to simply stare at the scene for a moment, but then a thought came to her. Compared to the scene of utter insanity that she was looking at, it was the much preferable thing to do._

"_He's using another Full Combo!" she gasped. "That stupid idiot!" stomping towards the insane scene, she inhaled deeply and let out her most commanding voice. "MATTHEW!"_

"_Hm?" the blue warrior blinked as he turned to see who had called. "Oh, hello Louise! So lovely to see you. What kept you?"_

"_Idiot!" she shouted, still stomping towards her stupid Familiar. "Why in the Founder's name are you using a Full Combo?-! You know what those do to you!"_

"_Ah, you mean this?" he asked softly, tapping his chest. Honestly, Louise could have sworn he was trying to pretend to be a woman or something! "Oh that horrible Count Mott just wouldn't play fair so I decided to punish him a little. Whipping seems appropriate, don't you think?"_

_A giggle alerted Louise's to the presence of someone else. She glanced over and saw Siesta looking very amused over how everything was happening. Perhaps she was a little embarrassed, but considering what Mott wanted to do with her no one would blame her for taking pleasure in the act. Louise only considered her for a moment before turning back to glare at her Familiar._

"_Well it's clear you've won, now let's get Siesta back to the academy," she huffed. "No doubt there's going to be a huge fallout over this."_

"_Oh, but I can't yet," Matthew shook his head. "I've still got a duel to win."_

"_Duel?" _

"_Partner challenge Mott to a duel so to make him let Siesta go," Derflinger spoke up from his perch. "Only the cheater tried to have his guards jump him when it looked like he was going to lose. Partner took them all down in one blow!"_

"_Oh stop, you'll make me blush!" Matthew giggled…wait…giggled?_

_Okay, now Louise knew that something was wrong with her Familiar. He was acting weird when he was using his SaGoZo combo too, only then he acted more along the lines of a small child rather the flamboyant person he was being now. He seemed to be the same person, more or less, but just acted different. Still, it was a little unnerving…_

"_Ah! I forgot about something!" Matthew gasped, his palms on his cheeks. He began looking around the area. "Oh Mottie! Where did you go?" _

_Matthew darted off to follow Mott once more, leaving Louise to fume. Okay, this was just getting ridiculous! She was going to tear that belt off of his waist and return him to normal before he did something really stupid and made mockeries out of all of them._

"_There you are!"_

"_AHHHHHHHHHH!"_

_BZZZZZAAAAP!_

"_Ow! Okay! I give up! I give up! Take the maid already!"_

"_And those were the magic words! Good for you, Mottie!"_

* * *

><p>Everything was fuzzy, but I decided that was normal after using a Full Combo. My limbs felt like lead and my entire body was going through a rocking motion as if I was riding on top of something. I could feel that I was leaning against something in front of me while something was pressed tightly against my back. Opening my eyes, I only saw a big mass of pink that was covering my sight.<p>

"Ugh…Louise?"

"So you're finally awake," the mass of pink sighed. "I should really be taking my riding crop onto you for your actions tonight. You used a Full Combo again when you know that it's a bad idea to do so. I hardly think Mott was powerful enough to warrant one."

"Had to," I grumbled. "He had all his guards jump me…when he started losing."

"So I gathered when you explained it to me," Louise nodded. "After Mott finally agreed to let Siesta go, you had all of us load up onto my horse so we could go back to the academy. You then transformed back and passed out again. We're about halfway back now."

"Oh…"I nodded against Louise's back. "Siesta…?"

"Helping make sure you don't fall off the horse since you're practically crippled at the moment," Louise huffed.

"It's the least I could do!" I heard Siesta chirp, squeezing me around my midsection. "The guards said they'd send my things back posthaste since they didn't want you to come back for it."

"Heh," I chuckled weakly. "Serves…the perv right."

"Yes," Siesta nodded against my back. "Matthew…thank you so much for coming to save me. You were like a knight out of a story, storming in like you did."

"I'm a Kamen Rider," I mumbled into Louise's hair, feeling drowsiness coming back for a second round. "It's what…I do."

Then I passed out again, feeling that everything was right with the world.

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, another chapter done. I think it's obvious now that I'm using the anime for source material. We also get to see ShaUTa in action.


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own Kamen Rider OOO or Familiar of Zero. They belong to their respective creators and not me so pleas ejust sit back and enjoy if you are a fan of this fic.

**Familiar of ZerOOO**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**CHAPTER 7: The Mission, The Faeries, and The Corrupt Nobles**

I yawned as I waited for Louise out in Vestri Court while she was busy in her classes. Around me were the other Familiars who were milling about and simply enjoying the day as they waited for their masters to return to them. Next to me the bugbear was looking over my shoulder…something you honestly could never miss even if you tried. Snakes, turtles, cats and dogs were all simply enjoying the sun. For an animal lover, it would have been a great way to spend a few hours. I on the other hand was using the time constructively by polishing my Core Medals once again.

Thankfully I wasn't alone in terms of human companionship either.

Since the incident with Count Mott, Siesta and I had started hanging out together when there was spare time for it. I certainly didn't mind since I was always happy to hang out with someone. Kirche would always glomp me while Louise would keep me in a rather neutral point of view unless she got angry at me or something. Tabitha was very nice, but she only spoke minimally and wasn't much for conversation. Siesta on the other hand always had a smile and ready ear to listen with when I would need one.

At this point in time, the both of us were sitting in Vestri Court while the two of us polished the Core Medals. Siesta was certainly happy to help and was taking the time to admire the magical pieces of metal. I was just thankful for the intelligent company. I was also fortunate enough to have received more of my clothing orders from Quinn, getting the rest of the outfits I had ordered from her. Each one was corresponding to the Full Combos and looked pretty damn cool, even if they were more or less the same outfits save for the colours, emblems, and maybe some accessories.

This day, I was wearing the ShaUTa version. As expected, it was blue with the ShaUTa symbol on my back. The Shachi, Unagi, and Tako emblems were stitched on the right sleeve, making me think Quinn had wanted to try for some wild new designs and since I wasn't a noble who would complain about every little thing that was out of place nor a commoner who wouldn't show it off too often I would be the perfect guinea pig. I had a blue shirt on which had wooden ties on the collar for easy adjustment. Over it was a long blue coat with the emblems stitched in their various places, but it was made with a material that when light was shone on it, there was a ripple effect that made it look like I was wearing water. The pants were made of a dark blue material which had metal stud decorations running down the outside pant legs, reminding me of the Tako Legs which I would wear as OOO. All in all, it looked pretty cool, as Siesta and Kirche were eager to remind me even if the Germanian said I would look better in red.

"So what does this one do?" Siesta asked me, holding up the Condor Medal as she was polishing it.

"Equips me with blades on my feet, allowing me to damage my opponents even more when I kick," I replied, glancing up from my work on the Tricera Medal.

"Ah," the maid nodded as she set the polished Medal down and reached for another one.

"Hmph!" Derflinger pouted from my back. "Sure, yeah, spend all of your time taking good care of your little coins but just leave Derflinger to rust. Yeah, he doesn't mind. It's not like he likes to be clean and sparkling like all the other swords."

"Derflinger," I sighed. "I do want to polish you, but the problem is that this place doesn't have any of the supplies I need to polish you with. Sure, they probably have stuff to sharpen knives and polish fine metals, but that might end up doing a less than stellar job mixed with my inexperience. I'd go buy them but Louise is broke until the end of the month when her parents send her more money to pay for expenses. Buying these clothes for me and you kind of burnt a hole in her wallet."

"Hmph!" the sword pouted again. "You seem to have enough to polish your coins!"

"Yeah, because I don't need them to have a cutting edge, able to pierce armour, or prevent fluids from drying inside their grooves. I just need them to be dust-free so nothing gets in the way of the O-Driver activating their powers. You're a bit more complicated to care for," I explained. "Besides, you turn all sharp and shiny when I change you into Medajalibur don't you?"

"Yeah," Derflinger reluctantly admitted. "But I want to be sharp and shiny all the time…"

A soft giggling alerted my sentient sword and I to Siesta's listening of our conversation. The maid seemed terribly amused by our little argument over Derflinger's upkeep. After a moment to get her laughter under control again, she smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry, Derflinger. I'm going into town on my day off so I can pick up the things you need."

"Really?-!" Derflinger gasped, wiggling himself further out of his sheathe. "All right maid girl! Thanks a lot! Yahoo!"

"But…I can't really pay you back for it…" I began, unsure how to gently turn down such generosity,

"Mnn," Siesta shook her head. "As far as I'm concerned, I owe you for more than a few sword upkeep supplies for how you rescued me from Count Mott. It's nothing, really!"

"Well…" I mumbled. I really hadn't wanted anything in return for helping a friend, but if Siesta was so adamant in doing it… "I guess that would be okay."

"Wahoo!" Derflinger cheered. "Sparkle city here I come!"

* * *

><p>Classes eventually ended and the students came to retrieve their Familiars. Siesta quickly took her leave but promised both me and Derflinger she would get those sword maintenance supplies when she could. Louise quickly found me as I was putting the Medals away. Thankfully it was her final class and she didn't have any last minute requests for me. So, we quickly made our leave and headed back up to the dormitories. However, that's when our day began to get strange. Rather than a simple room like always, we saw that we had a guest. Sitting on the table with a rolled up piece of parchment attached to it was a pigeon that was looking at us expectantly.<p>

"A carrier pigeon?" Louise blinked. "That's odd."

"In what way?" I asked. People in this place actually used carrier pigeons? I'm not proud to admit to ignorance, but I could never really figure out how that kind of letter carrier system was supposed to work. I mean, what kept those birds from flying away and never coming back? Maybe I was missing an aspect of the concept, but like I said before I wasn't too well-informed about it. Louise on the other hand accepted it as normal and went to retrieve the bird. After removing its burden, it took flight and left through the window which we had left open since it had been such a nice day.

"It's an order from Princess Henrietta," Louise gasped as she unrolled the paper, recognizing the wax seal which held it shut.

"Really, what does it say?" I asked. Now this really was a day for surprises. One didn't just get a letter from the princess everyday.

"After our capture of Foquet and how you dealt with Count Mott and his corrupted ways, the princess assigned us to root out corruption and deal with it," said Louise, looking over the letter. "After reading my letter and discretely investigating, she found that our claims to his corruption were true. It seems she has been hearing rumours about nobles in the nearby towns who have been abusing their authority. She hasn't had enough evidence to investigate and her advisors have stonewalled her attempts to even inquire discretely," her face was marred by a frown at that point. "Since we had such success before and the princess trusts us so, we are being charged to investigate."

"Oh, like Internal Affairs," I nodded. Louise gave me a look of confusion. "Oh, it's like a specialised group that deal with corruption within the government. That's what we are."

"Indeed, but we are to do it incognito," said Louise, sighing. "It'll be a long-term assignment."

"You should consider this an honour, Louise. The princess is putting a lot of trust in you," I said.

"I should, even if I am a Zero," murmured Louise.

"Hey, don't talk like that. Without my Medals I'm powerless too," I stated, trying to make her feel better. "So, when do we leave?"

"First, your Medals," she said, holding out her hand expectantly. "Hand them over. I don't want you using those so recklessly like before."

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" I replied, reluctantly handing the book over.

"You were unconscious," she reminded. "Those Full Combos really put a strain on you, and make you behave oddly."

"Yeah, tell me about it." I agreed. I may have to investigate just why the hell that kept happening. I was told that I was acting pretty…flamboyant while I was in ShaUTa. Pushing those rather uncomfortable thoughts out of my head, I decided to press on for some information about the apparent mission. "So when you say 'incognito', just how do you mean?"

"We are to disguise ourselves as commoners and insert ourselves into the populace," Louise replied, sounding as if the answer was obvious.

Okay, I was already seeing a flaw in that plan, "Uh, Louise? Have you thought this out completely? I mean, do you think you can do this?"

"Of course!" Louise snapped. "I am a noble! Such a task should be simple! It shall be as easy as taking a walk!"

* * *

><p>"'It shall be as easy as taking a walk!' 'I am a noble! Such a task should be simple!'" I imitated Louise's voice as we walked down the streets of the Tristain capital. I turned to look at the pouting pinkette who was wearing a simple black sundress and a hat. She thought it would pass her off as a commoner, but it was still pretty fancy compared to what I've seen the regular folks wear. "I leave you alone for five minutes and look what happens!"<p>

"Hmph!"

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady!" I snapped. "I warned you that this wasn't going to be fun or luxurious! But did you listen? Oh hell no!"

The mission had started off easily enough. Henrietta has sent us vouchers for money to be redeemed at a moneylender or whatever they called bankers out here. With our budget claimed, I thought we could look at some decent lodgings. However, Louise wouldn't have anything but the best inn we could find and of course we would have a horse to travel around on since she didn't want to be on her feet all day. She was understandably shocked and outraged to find that her usual standard of living couldn't be afforded with the budget that Henrietta gave us for the mission. So in an effort to find something decent, I left Louise alone for a little bit so to inquire about the prices of an inn that didn't look too bad. My plan was to learn if the place had reasonable prices and then hype it up to Louise as an inn which only looked humble so travelling nobles could be left alone in private luxurious rooms while they recovered from their travels.

It was an awful plan I know, but with how much Louise was sulking I figured she'd be desperate enough to try for it.

Unfortunately, while I was doing such Louise wandered off and found a casino where she thought she could double our money so she could afford the expensive things she so desperately 'needed'. However, it seemed her gambling skills were much like her magical skills I.E. zero. Honestly, I had only been gone for a few minutes and probably spent a few minutes more asking about her through some of the locals hanging about before tracking her down. Her pink hair stood out rather vibrantly, making the task easy. In that short amount of time, she managed to lose all of the money which Henrietta had allotted us for the mission on games of chance. So with no money and thus no means of getting shelter or food, we were wandering the town in hopes of finding something to help out our situation.

"Well excuse me for wanting to get us some decent lodgings!" Louise snapped at me.

"All of the inns we've seen so far are decent!" I groaned. "You just don't think so because they don't have silk sheets, down pillows, soft carpets, or butlers waiting on you hand and foot!"

"And what's wrong with that?" asked Louise, scowling at me.

"Because commoners can't afford that!" I cried in exasperation. For all of her scholastic knowledge, she was really dense when it came to the common sense stuff! "If we spent money like you were used to doing, everyone would have pegged you as a noble and if the rumours we're checking out are true, the people here will never trust us! By giving us a limited budget, we're forced to live like they do so we would at least have a better chance of people trusting us since no noble would dare stay in the inns like the kinds I've been suggesting!"

"For good reason," Louise cried back. "Those places were so dusty!"

"For travellers who have been riding between cities, a soft bed, warm atmosphere, and a friendly host are some of the best things you can find," I replied. "They wouldn't care about a little dust. Frankly, I don't see why you should care either. It's not like it would have hurt you."

"It is below my station to be force to stay-!" Louise began.

"Haven't you been listening to a thing I say?" I frowned, glaring at the smaller girl. "For the duration of this mission you AREN'T. A. NOBLE. We're supposed to blend in with the people. So if you intend for this mission to go on ahead, then you are going to have to make some sacrifices! I think staying in a less than fancy inn is a fair sacrifice to make in the service of your princess and childhood friend."

Even to my amazement, my rant managed to shut her up. It seemed to dawn on her that she should have been willing to put her pride aside at the very least since it was not only her ruler, but her best friend asking her for help. Instead, she had all but doomed the mission to failure simply because she didn't want to sleep in a bed that didn't have silk sheets. Seeing the pinkette beginning to slump in depression was admittedly satisfying. It meant that she was getting the message.

We exited into the town square where a simple fountain rested in the centre. With nothing else do at the moment; we took seats on its edge. Louise curled her legs up against her torso while resting her chin on her knees. I just took a seat and rest my chin in my palms. No one else was around save perhaps some birds, but they hardly counted so it left Louise and I to stew in our depression.

"Is there any way we can salvage this?" asked Louise.

"Well, we could ask Henrietta for a loan," I offered, but then saw Louise cringe. "Yeah, I didn't think you'd go for that." I sighed, knowing my next suggestion would be one she would like even less. "Well, if you think you can keep your pride from getting in the way again, we can find a good spot and beg in hopes that enough people will take pity on us and we'd be able to afford some food while looking for a good spot to get involved."

"…you must be joking," Louise gaped, turning to stare at me.

"Oh don't I wish," was my response. The two of us looked at each other before sighing at the exact same time. It seemed that luck wasn't going to be on our side.

"Tres bien!"

Louise and I both blinked at the outcry before turning to see who had made it…before I for sorely wished I hadn't. Standing there in apparent admiration of us was a man…or what I assumed to be one. He was wearing white boots way too short blue shorts and a pink tank-top which left his abs exposed. His choice of outfit wasn't helped by the fact that he was sporting a lot of masculine muscles as well as hair on his limbs and chest. He had short dark hair along with a mousetache and beard. Weirdly enough, he was wearing lipstick and mascara as well. Now, I'm not the type to judge on appearances, but this guy…this guy made his tastes pretty darn obvious.

"What a marvellously cute face!" the man beamed, seemingly creating sparkles to reflect his admiration. Please let him be talking about Louise. "You two seem to be in a spot of trouble!" He moved towards us, but he didn't just walk but he _pranced_ towards us while making poses along the way. "As you can see, I am not a suspicious person!"

'_I call bullshit,_' I thought to myself as Louise and I could only gape, not that he noticed.

"My name is Scarron," he introduced while doing a pirouette. "I run an inn just down the street from here."

"An inn?" Louise and I blinked.

"Yes! An inn!" Scarron smiled. "I can lend you a room if you like."

"Really?" my master and I gasped.

"_But…_" the odd man continued before he began pointing at Louise. "I need a favour in return."

Why didn't I have a good feeling about this?

* * *

><p>You know, there were good people still left in the world and if you just trusted them then good things will happen.<p>

Scarron's offer to let us have a room was indeed genuine. All he really asked for in return is that we worked for room and board which was a perfectly reasonable request in my mind. Scarron's inn was in fact called the Dancing Faerie Inn. It was a very nice place and obviously well-cared for. The aromas from the kitchen proved good quality cooking, the atmosphere was friendly and accommodating, and the open fire which was in the nearby fireplace only enhanced the look. While the place was indeed an inn, it was also a tavern which had an open space for all sorts of customers. Of course, where there were tavern customers there were waitresses to serve them.

Oh the pretty waitresses.

To deal with the competition of all of the other inns in the city, Scarron had a special theme with all of his waitresses, nine in total. Each of them wore short-skirted, bare back and shoulder outfits that to be honest wouldn't look out of place on a fairy, likely hence the name of the inn. Of course, each of the girls were undeniably pretty and filled out the outfits very well. It certainly made sure that they no doubt would have gotten a lot of business. I sure as hell wouldn't deny its effectiveness as far as I was concerned.

Scarron proved to be in fact a very kind boss as he was a person and took the time to introduce his newest employees to 'his dear Faeries'. All of the girls went through the motions of showing Louise how to bring out the best tips and the best techniques to serving customers. Seeing the girls do it again proved how effective they were. Seeing Scarron do it…was just plain creepy. I really had to wonder just how male he considered himself since he insisted that he be called 'Mi-mademoiselle' while working.

I myself was keeping an eye on Louise for a moment, making sure that she was going to be okay. I could see clearly from the back that she was less that pleased with her employment, and downright mortified at the techniques which were being demonstrated for her. Of course, if Scarron did that for me I'd be pretty mortified too. I only hoped that she would keep her temper in check and not end up offending everyone. They were really nice and I was hoping to make some more friends outside of the nobles at the academy.

"Hey New Guy! You can ogle later! Help me get the dishes ready!"

"Oh! Right! Coming!"

The person who was talking to me was an attractive girl with long dark hair who wore a simple green dress with a kerchief on her head to keep her hair out of her face. However, she had an appealing figure herself and wore her dress so to bare her cleavage with a silver pendant almost nestled into the sinful valley. Her eyes were a pleasant shade of green, but it was the whole shape and appearance of her face that seemed to ring a bell with me for some reason. I knew I had never met her before, but looking at her somehow made me think that I had. Her name was Jessica and strangely enough she was Scarron's daughter.

How that occurred I wasn't rude enough to ask.

I was officially the chore boy of the Dancing Faerie Inn who would handle things in the back with Jessica while Scarron would make sure everything was okay with the girls out front in the tavern. For the time being, I was helping Jessica wash and dry dishes in preparation of the rush which would come every night when the Dancing Faerie opened its doors to the public. I had been supplied with an apron while I hung my ShaUTa jacket on a coat hook in the back. So with my tools, I set to work.

"So what's your story anyway?" she asked me as we set to work.

"My story?" I asked her curiously.

"Yeah," the busty girl nodded. "I mean, one just doesn't end up broke and desperate enough to try and risk gambling to get more money on a whim. There must be some reason why you hit such hard times."

"Oh, well, you know how these things happen," I grinned weakly.

"I'm sure they do," Jessica grinned impishly. "Well, you're lucky Daddy found you when he did. This week's the annual tip race."

"Tip race?" I blinked, taking a plate to dry.

"Mm, hm," Jessica nodded cleaning off a plate with a speed only professionals could match. "The winner of the race gets a bonus and gets to wear the Faerie Bustier. It's what the other costumes the girls wear are based off of. It's a family heirloom that Daddy told me has a charm on it that when you serve while wearing it, you get amazing tips," she explained. "The last girl who wore it was someone who wanted the extra money so she could travel home. She only wore it for a few days before she got enough to head home with money to spare."

"Charm, right," I chuckled.

"Hey, don't believe me if you want but when you see one of our girls wearing it then you'll want to give her a king's ransom just to have her smile at you," the girl teased.

"Well, seeing is believing and I've seen plenty of amazing things," I said. I wasn't lying. I never thought my toy Medals and O-Driver would become real and I never thought I would become OOO himself. It was like something out of a dream and it was the best feeling ever to be in the shoes of one of my heroes.

"I'm sure," Jessica said as she leaned over, smiling seductively at me. "So, where are you from?"

"Well, I only got to Tristain a few weeks ago," I answered, taking great pains not to notice the manner of her smile. I couldn't quite say that I was summoned by a Tristain Academy student in a magical ritual now could I? "I met Louise when I got here. We didn't get along all that well at first." Boy was that an understatement. "We had a few adventures since then and just ended up hanging out together as travelling buddies."

"Travelling buddies," Jessica snickered, turning back to her work. "Well, I suppose that's a good a term as any. Still doesn't answer my question though."

"I don't suppose it does, does it?" I pondered, playing dumb. "Where do you think I'm from?"

"Ah, so it's a game now is it?" Jessica grinned. "Okay, I'll play. I'll just watch you for a few hours and I'll figure it out." Her grin then turned sultry. "Question is: what do I get if I win?"

"Um," I pondered. Wow, she really knew how to turn on the charm. I think only Kirche had her beat in sheer forwardness. Still Jessica focused on sensuality while Kirche aimed for outright sexuality. "Well, I hadn't thought that far. I guess when I get paid I can buy you a prize or-"

"A dinner date? That's perfect!" Jessica beamed, interrupting me.

"Wha-?-!" I cried. I didn't offer her dinner!

"I swear if I didn't know any better you were trying to seduce me!" the city girl teased. "As flattering as it is though, we've got work to do! So you'll just have to flirt with me on your own time, New Guy. I'll earn that dinner before the night is through!"

"Who said anything about flirting?" I mumbled, kind of surprised by her blatant manipulation. City girls it seemed could be just as scary as noble girls, if not more so.

The work night quickly began as thirst and hungry customers began trickling in for their dinners or nightly drinks. Jessica did all the cooking while I was delegated to getting ingredients, cooking implements, or cleaning the things she had used. Out in the dining room, the girls set to work and admirably so. All of them would take the orders of the men and pour them wine when they asked. Heck, those girls would even sit next to the customers and listen to them talk, giggling happily and acting very interested in what they were bragging on about. Jessica mentioned at some point that it wasn't unusual for some of the customers to ask the waitresses to marry them. Of course, Scarron was there the whole time making sure that all of his faeries were treated properly and no one got too fresh with them.

Of course, there were some bumps in the road. Louise of course was still appalled that she would have to do something like serve drinks to drunken men. She didn't want to act cute and she didn't like having to perform for a bunch of drunken letches. It certainly didn't help that all of them liked to comment just how lacking she was in the chest area as well as other feminine areas. That just sparked off her famous temper as she paid one rather stupid guy back by pouring wine on him. He was of course, insulted but Scarron came to the rescue by seemingly coming on strongly to the guy under the guise of showing Louise how to do it right. That got the poor soul to forget all about Louise as he tried to get Scarron to stop touching him.

"That's one way to end an argument," I commented, watching the odd owner of the inn work at defusing a drunken argument.

"That's Daddy for you," Jessica giggled. "You know, I don't think I've seen him go into action as many times as he has tonight."

"Sorry about that," I sighed as I moved a large pot over to the cooking area should Jessica need it, easily guessing her point. Louise had been causing a lot of trouble since the night began. It seemed that despite my little speech about her pride getting in the way, she still refused to let go of it to this extent. "Louise is really sensitive about her figure even though she acts tough. She'd get teased about it all the time back in her home town. It didn't help that the one who was at the front of it all was a Germanian girl who could easily give you a run for your money in terms of figure."

"Oh? Match me eh?" Jessica pondered. She had an eyebrow raised at me, apparently taking the comparison as a challenge. She took a moment to strike a pose, emphasizing her assets as she teased me again. "I think I'd like to meet that girl someday. I'd have to see that to believe it."

I think I'd like to see that too in all honesty. Jessica did have a very nice figure and seemed to know how to flaunt it. There was no arguing she had a sizable chest either. I could easily guess it to be in Kirche's league, which the redhead might seriously take as a challenge to her status of a woman. A competition between the two to see who was more woman might be the death of any poor man who got caught up in the middle of it…but what a way to go. I could imagine it already.

"Still," Jessica turned back to her cooking. "Louise certainly has a lot of pride. Way more than most people I've ever see," she glanced over her shoulder at me while she worked on some stew. "I wonder why that is."

"Ulp!" I gulped. I was afraid of this! Because Louise couldn't get over her hang-ups on the differences between commoners and nobles, everyone was probably already guessing she was a noble. What they probably couldn't guess was why she was at the Inn and what I was doing with her. Okay, damage control. "Well…pride is really one of the only things she's got. She's sorta like the black sheep of her family. Everyone else was capable of going on to big and brighter things while she…didn't have very many prospects." God I hope Louise didn't hear me say that. She's blow me to kingdom come.

To my surprise, Jessica blinked in surprise before her face gained an understanding look to it before smiling, "I see." She did? She actually bought that half-baked lie I came up with on the spot? Nodding, she returned to her cooking. "Well I suppose if you put it that way, she'd cling to what pride she has. That makes sense."

Yeah, that made sense. I was glad that was the end of that argument. I don't know how much longer I could have lied on my feet like that.

* * *

><p>Eventually the day wound down and all of the customers left before we employees cleaned up for the night. Louise managed to get into three arguments with customers just because they had commented on her chest size. She even managed to bring out a riding crop on one guy, who seemed to actually get excited by it if the grin on his face was any indication. Still, the night continued on and most of the customers considered Louise to be a new novelty to enjoy for a while. I just hoped she got her act together before she pissed off the wrong person.<p>

Scarron gave us all a hearty thanks for our hard work before we were all sent off to our rooms. The waitresses, it turned out, had their own sets of rooms which were kept in a more secretive part of the inn. It was rather well furnished, if not a little dusty since everyone was usually wiped by the end of the night and didn't bother trying to clean up too much after the working day was done. Our room was a bit dustier but other than that it was fully furnished and someone had even left extra blankets and pillows to use. I thought it was a pretty nice room and it could have been a lot worse. Louise though…

"Th-Th-They expect the daughter of a d-d-duke to stay here?-!" she cried as she examined the room in its entirety. "I have half a mind to-!"

"Louise, enough!" I groaned, interrupting her rant. She turned her gaze to me, looking pissed off again. I was in no mood for this and her complaining wasn't helping things. "You don't seem to get just how lucky we were to have Scarron find us when he did. Otherwise we'd be sleeping out on the street. Frankly, the man must have the patience of a saint to not be angry at you for how much trouble you caused tonight."

"I was in the right to be angry!" Louise snarled. "Those…drunks had the gall to comment on my-!"

"I know," I interrupted again. "They made cracks about your breast size. I heard your outrage from the kitchen." I collected the extra blankets and pillow to make a make-shift cot on the floor. I didn't care where I slept so long as it was comfortable at this point. "I know you don't like it when people make fun of you for it, but you're going to have to grit your teeth and bear it."

"Why should I?" huffed the pinkette, crossing her arms. "Give me one good reason!"

"I'll give you three," I replied, standing up to look her in the eye. "One: this job will give us the cash we need to live from day to day. Two: Scarron is letting us stay for free so that means we can use our money for other important things should it come up. Three: This is the perfect place to carry out the mission that Henrietta gave us."

"Huh?" Louise blinked, her anger immediate forgotten as she recalled the reason for hiding among commoners in the first place. "How do you mean?"

"Well," I sighed, deciding to take a seat next to the pinkette now that her hostility was gone. "This place seems to be a pretty popular tavern so that means lots of people will visit and when lots of people get together, they start talking about things. They don't care if a waitress overhears and this place is even better since they'll want the cute waitresses to pay attention to them and listen to what they have to say. So if they have any complaints about the nobles…"

"We might be able to hear if there are any nobles abusing their authority!" Louise gasped, reaching the same conclusion I did. A heartbeat later though, she got depressed. "But all these guys want to do is talk to the others with big breasts."

"Oh please, breasts are only one thing that guys like to see on a girl," I chuckled, amused at her depression. "You've got plenty to work with."

"Oh yeah?" Louise frowned, turning to glare at me once again. "Like what?"

"Your legs for one," I replied, pointing at Louise's limbs. She blinked and looked down at them. "They're smooth, no scars, nothing unattractive on them, and if you show off some flexibility with them you'll get customers giving you tips in no time."

"With my legs?" Louise frowned, clearly not understanding what I was talking about.

"Trust me. I'm a guy too. I know what I want to see on a cute girl who's flirting with me," I replied. Standing up, I pulled Louise to her feet. "Okay, Scarron and the girls had to have told you about how to walk towards tables, right?"

"Um…" Louise frowned, glancing at the floor.

"Okay, you were too busy being mad," I rolled my eyes. "Well, I'm not expert but how about I explain how I would like to see a cute waitress in a sexy outfit walk towards me? You can try it out on the customers and we'll see if it works. If all else fails, you can ask the others for tips."

"I guess…" Louise huffed. "But I don't feel quite right learning something like this from a man!"

"Yeah, this is a situation I never really thought I'd be in myself but it's happening so might as well get over it," I shrugged. I would have been lying if I hadn't felt real weird about having to explain to a girl how to try and catch a guy's eye. Still, I just kept furiously reminding myself that this was for the sake of the mission. Hopefully it would keep me from feeling too emasculated. "Okay, show me how you'd walk to a table to serve somebody."

Louise did just that by walking from one end of the room to another. It was fine, but it looked like it was like how she always walked, straight back, rigid posture, showing no emotion. I suddenly realized I had my work cut out for me, "Okay, that kind of walking is good for a simple walk across the room. But in this case, you're trying to catch a guy's attention. Your walk should make the guy appreciate your appearance, not just see you coming and shrug his shoulders."

"And how do you do that?" asked Louise.

So into the night I gave tips to Louise on how to catch a guy's attention. It was quickly becoming a time in which I would repress in my memories and make sure that it was never spoken of again to anyone. Anywhere. Ever. In fact I was repressing it as it was happening.

Repress…repress…repress…repress…

Repress some more…

* * *

><p><em>Delilah yawned as she tip-toed into the kitchens of the Dancing Faerie for a midnight snack. The night had been kind of long and she needed a little more food in her before she could get to sleep or else she'd be kept up by hunger pains.<em>

_Delilah was one of the several waitresses of the Dancing Faerie Inn. She was of course a cute girl who took care of herself like the others did. She had pale and unblemished skin which was rare in a working-class girl. Her hair was a unique shade of green which she usually kept tied up in a pineapple-like ponytail. It was a style she fell in love with after beginning to work at the inn. Her eyes were a cute shade of pink and like all of the girls there, she had a decently-sized bust which didn't fail to nab her more than her share of tips. A surprising fact about her though was that she used to be a member of the nobility. She was part of a relatively minor noble family who didn't produce many noteworthy mages. Her parents weren't satisfied with being 'just' noble and not being rich or famous. So they began making inquiries about her marriage prospects once she got old enough. Finally, they decided to have her marry a baron who was willing to pay out a lot for the dowry. Her parents were delighted, but Delilah was anything but. The man was an obvious lecher who treated his maids like his personal harem. What he wanted was a pure noble heir and was willing to pay for one. The fact that he was getting older probably explained why he was willing to pay out so much for her._

_Refusing to let herself be used like a brood cow, she escaped from her parents' estate and fled for the nearest town. She thought that she would be okay for a while before she could get onto her feet, but quickly found otherwise when her funds dried up and she had been unable to figure out how to live by herself or do a lot of things on her own. She had been kicked out of the inn she had been staying at when she had stumbled onto Scarron. He could immediately tell that she was in trouble and quickly offered to help in return for earning her room and board._

_Working at the Dancing Faerie was difficult at first. She had no experience serving as a waitress and flirting so casually was mortifying for her. Still, despite how weird he was Scarron was actually very nice and always looked out for his girls. The other waitresses were really supportive and always willing to lend an ear when she felt things were getting too tough or a guy got particularly fresh with her. To be honest, the inn felt more like a home than her family estates did._

_She had been a little concerned about the new girl Louise that night. It was never easy to leave a cushy lifestyle like the nobility had for the real world. Delilah had dealt with it by being shy and quiet until she got used to it all and gained confidence. Louise on the other hand was just angry. She had gotten into fights with the patrons over her bust size, which unfortunately was a little lacking compared to the other girls. Still, the girl had other cute features which the patrons would love. The former noble figured once Louise calmed down, if she was still having trouble she'd give the pinkette some tips._

_Reaching the kitchen with naught but a candle to help her see, Delilah headed straight for the breadbox to see if there were any more of those delicious buns left. Somehow, Jessica always managed to snag some of the best bits of food from the marketplaces. With her skill in cooking, Delilah always figured that the cute waitresses in the revealing outfits were more like icing on the cake than a real business keeper. Still, it meant that she could get some of that good food too as she headed for the breadbox and hopefully what good things were still left in it._

_*JINGLE*_

_Her foot then stepped upon something and curious, she looked down to see what appeared to be a silver coin. "What's this?" she asked herself as she got down to pick it up. On one side it had an 'X' and when she turned it over she saw what looked like the image of a bug with large pinchers on it. She was unfamiliar with the insect though but she knew that the coin was probably valuable. She examined it to make sure it wasn't fake. It wasn't gold but it looked like it was made out of pure silver. "Looks like this is my lucky night," Delilah giggled to herself._

_Looking it over, she wondered what she would do with it. It looked like she might be able to sell it if she wanted to. Still, it might just end up being simple iron being polished to look like silver and worth next to nothing. The design on was rather interesting and it would certainly stand out if she brought it out to show it to anybody. She could try to have it appraised to see what it was worth. Still, it felt like there was something better for it to do than just be melted down for coins. There had to be something more she could do with…_

"_Oh!" she gasped as she got an idea. A few years ago, there was a girl named Esmerelda who worked at the Dancing Faerie at the same time that Delilah had just started. There was a trick she had in which she would flip a coin and manage to catch it in her cleavage. The customers would go nuts over it and would rain down the tips on her for the performance. It was that trick of hers that allowed her to win the tip war for the Faerie Bustier. Funnily enough, while she was wearing it a young noble had been passing through and had fallen in love with her. He courted her and eventually she left to get married. The last Scarron and the others heard from her, she was expecting her first child as a noble lady in Germania._

_Some people were so lucky…_

_Delilah hadn't tried to use the trick for a while since when she first saw it, she hadn't been developed enough to try it. That had been a few years ago though and she had grown somewhat since then. Big enough to have to have her dress resized twice anyway. Deciding to try her luck, Delilah adjusted her nightgown so her cleavage was much more visible. Placing the coin on her thumb, she flipped the coin into the air and watched it spin in the air. The coin spun and Delilah quickly began to try and follow its path so she could capture it. Hefting up her breasts like a catcher's mitt, she moved to follow the coin's path._

_She was concentrating so hard, she didn't notice the empty feeling in her head while a Medal Insertion Slot opened up on her forehead._

_The coin began falling and Delilah was pretty sure that she had the path of the falling coin pegged. Stepping forward quickly, she tried to aim her cleavage properly so she could get the coin to land properly. However, she took one step too far and the coin instead aimed to land on her head. Disobeying the laws of probability, the coin slipped into the slot on her head before the spot in question vanished. Delilah came to a halt, dropping her hands to her sides as her eyes clouded over. Green light shone from her back before a black void opened. Out from the darkness came a gray-skinned creature wrapped with aged white bandages that flopped onto the floor as the void closed behind it._

_The Yummy stumbled to its feet before staring at its 'mother's' back. Delilah was still dazed as the creature leaned in close to her and began whispering, "I will grant your desire."_

"_Delilah?" a sleepy female voice suddenly called out from outside of the kitchen. "Is that you getting another midnight snack?"_

"_Yes…" Delilah dazedly called out, even as the Yummy kept a sharp eye on the kitchen door, just waiting to see what would happen. "Sorry if I woke you, Jessica…"_

"_It's okay," the unofficial manager of the waitresses yawned. "Just don't take too much."_

"_Okay…" Delilah nodded._

_Soft footsteps announced Jessica's leaving, causing the Yummy to relax. Looking at its 'mother' one last time, it shambled away towards the back door of the restaurant. It easily knew how to unlock the door and slipped out into the night air._

_Delilah stood there for several moments before she returned to her senses, distraught as she realized that she had lost her new accessory._

* * *

><p>A new day began at the Dancing Faerie Inn. I just hoped that Louise took my lessons to heart. I was repressing a lot of embarrassing memories from when I had to tutor Louise on how to flaunt what she got. I knew it sounded perverted, but there were guys who liked flat-chested girls. I wasn't sure why, though. The logic escaped me but maybe they just liked cute lolis instead of fully developed women. Still, it meant that Louise would have to work with the goods she already had to try and blend in enough. I just hoped that the little noble was going to keep her temper in check and not insult any potential leads on the rumours we were looking into.<p>

Most of the day was actually free since the tavern wasn't open in the mornings save for breakfast for the people who stayed overnight. Most of the girls were given mornings off save for a bare bones staff who would help keep things in order. Unfortunately, as the new people it fell to Louise and I to be part of those minimal staff members. It would stay that way till at least lunch depending on how much business the inn received, but dinnertime and later was always full with men who wanted cute girls to pay attention to them. Still, if nothing else it did give me a chance to talk with Jessica some more as she had me run errands while she worked to make the breakfast meals.

"You know," Jessica commented as I came back in from hauling trash. "That's a fine outfit you've got on. Where'd you get it?"

"This?" I asked, once again wearing my ShaUTa outfit, sans the jacket. "Oh, I was made the test subject of a seamstress. She wanted to see if her designs would garner any attention and she said I had the right look for them. So she gave me the clothes on the promise that I would show them off. Basically, it's me who gets laughed at if no one likes them."

"Well, looks to me like you got the good end of the deal as far as the blue outfit goes," Jessica smiled. "Does this seamstress have a name? Daddy might be interested in seeing what styles she has in mind if he wants a new wardrobe."

"If you're serious, I can get the name I suppose," I shrugged. Quinn would welcome the extra business but I wondered if Jessica meant if Scarron would want a wardrobe for the girls or for himself? It could probably be the latter. The thought made me shudder slightly.

It was our second day and nothing noteworthy had occurred. Unfortunately, that also meant nothing that helped with our mission occurred either. However, patience was a virtue and it would soon pay off for us to being here. I also had to admit that Louise looked good in the uniform. She may not have much of a figure but she really did have smooth skin and…Just what the hell am I thinking!-?

Yes, I would be lying to myself if I said that Louise didn't look cute in the uniform but I was having strange thoughts about her. That girl didn't have much of a winning personality. She was arrogant, prideful, haughty, and had a pretty high opinion of herself. Sometimes she just treated me like dirt and would order me around just to show me my place.

But now she was playing the role of a non-noble. Maybe I did develop a soft spot for her. She was being pretty vulnerable during this whole situation.

"So, that 'traveling buddy' of yours," smirked Jessica. "Could she be the daughter of a noble family?"

Oh Snap!

"Uh….Um…" I mumbled, breaking out into a cold sweat. Crap! It just figured with my luck! She had to figure it out and it's not even been a week since we started!

"Don't bother trying to lie about it. I've heard all the excuses before," Jessica grinned victoriously. "Do you really think that just any girl would walk up to our doors and ask for a job that basically involves them showing some skin and flirting with drunks?"

"Likely not, but I'm a foreigner remember?" I replied, getting in some marginal teasing.

"True," Jessica shrugged. "But here in Tristain, girls try to avoid that kind of work but circumstances tend to have people make harsh decisions. All of the waitresses here are girls Daddy found in trouble and decided to lend a helping hand. Believe it or not, some of them are actually from noble families."

"Woah," I blinked, walking over to the sink. "No kidding? How'd they end up here then?"

"Bad family issues," Jessica sighed, going back to her cooking. "You may or may not know this since you're with Louise, but being a noble isn't all riches and finery. A lot of these girls ran away from home since their parents were planning on using them to make themselves more respectful, richer, or cash in on powerful bloodlines for prestige. Usually that means an arranged marriage."

"Let me guess," I frowned, piling dishes into the sink for cleaning. "These guys would be old men desperate for an heir, perverts who liked younger girls, or people that no one in their right mind would get close to."

"Bingo," Jessica nodded. "Of course, the girl's family could be the ones being forced into the situation, the family is pretty harsh in their ways and they couldn't take it anymore, or they just didn't want to be raised simply to be a brood mare and instead wanted to see the world. Long story short, some of them don't end up going so well so they end up broke. Daddy ends up finding them and they find their way up here."

"You father's a pretty nice guy," I commented, cleaning a pot.

"Yeah. Biggest heart I've ever known," Jessica smiled. "He looks out for all of them and does what he can to help. Of course, they don't stay forever. Once they get enough money together, they head out to go other places, try to start their own businesses, or just go wherever the wind takes them. Of course, some of them end up falling in love with some of our customers and end up getting married."

"Sounds like a fairytale," I smiled, working on a stubborn scrap of beef with the soap. "Makes sense why you'd peg Louise as a noble then. She definitely doesn't act like a regular girl, does she?"

"She wasn't very subtle," Jessica giggled, setting her cooking tools aside so she could go check on some bread she was baking for later. "What I really want to know is, just where do you fit in with her? I mean, I think I got the gist of the story last night but I want to know the details."

"That's for me to know and you to find out," I replied, pulling the clean pot out of the sink so I could dry it.

"Oh come on!" the chef pouted, looking up from her baking. "I won't tell! I swear!" she began to put while having her hands clenched beneath her chin cutely. "I just really want to know!"

"My lips are sealed," I answered, turning to grin at the frustrated chef. "You'll never hear it from me."

"Wanna bet?" Jessica grinned, putting her hands on her hips in a challenging manner. "I have ways of making men talk you know. Once upon a time I was out there working with the faeries too. Next to Daddy, I taught them everything they know.

"Well bring it on then," I snickered. Really, those waitresses were really cute and knew how to get your attention but for someone like me who was used to seeing more hardcore stuff on the internet as well as having to deal with Kirche when she felt amorous, I think I was ready for whatever Jessica could throw at me.

* * *

><p><em>Marcel Duchamp happily smoked his pipe as he tabulated through the costs and profits of his store for the day. At the age of thirty, he was easily considered one of the richest merchants in town outside of a nobility-owned business. Part of that was because he had learned a lot about attracting customers and selling products through the years. The other was the face that lately with a lot of nobles throwing their weight around behind the princess' back, thinking they could get away with it since their ruler was a teenage girl, the commoners would start going to his shop in hopes of getting fair prices rather than being ridiculously overcharged for the same things.<em>

_It was a boon for Marcel and he honestly hoped that the princess would never catch on. Her father was one thing, since everyone knew better than to cross him, but now that the man had passed away while his wife simply handed the reigns over to their daughter everyone felt they were able to get some leeway out of life. With all of extra money he was making from jilted commoners, he was able to make his own life better. One of his favourite things to do was visit the Dancing Faerie Inn. He just loved going to that place._

_His favourite part was going to see Cassandra. She was one of the waitresses and she kept her blonde hair in two ponytails. Marcel had been smitten with her at first sight. She had perfect proportions and she was just magical to touch. He should know, he tried to get a grope in every time even though he had to be sneaky lest that weirdo Scarron start harassing him in retribution. He had offered to marry her several times, but she turned him down every time. No matter how much wealth he offered, how much pretty things, no matter how good a life he swore she would get, she would just keep turning him down._

_Well, he was developing a plan that would make sure she married him no problem. He had been in contact with a disowned water mage who agreed to make him both a sleeping potion and a love potion for the right price. Once he dosed her with one, he'd get her with the other before stealing her away to Gallia where he knew a priest who would marry them, no questions asked. It was the perfect plan! Soon he'd have his perfect wife which would make his life complete! Nothing could stop him!_

_*TAP! TAP!*_

"_Hm?" Marcel blinked, looking up from his facts and figures. Someone was knocking on his office door? He was closed for the day though, didn't anyone see the sign? Getting up from his desk, he walked over to where the door was. Undoing the lock, he opened it, "What do you wa-AAAAAAAAAAH!"_

_Gray hands wrapped in bandages lashed out and grabbed him by the lapels of his shirt. The arms belonged to a grey-skinned, bandaged creature which had several slits for eyes that began pushing him back into the room, "I will protect her home…"_

_And then the pain began._

* * *

><p>Me and my big fucking mouth.<p>

When Jessica said she had helped teach the girls everything they knew about catching a guy's attention for tips, I had stupidly assumed that it was all she knew about flirting and seduction. What I should have realized what her exact words were that 'she taught them everything they knew' which in turn DIDN'T mean. She taught them everything that 'she' knew about the art of seduction and getting what you wanted from a man.

And she was damn good at it. She knew what she got and knew how to flaunt it.

It wasn't the outright sexuality that Kirche would use on me. Oh no, that would be too easy for me to resist since I was somewhat used to it. No, no, no. What Jessica would do was much more subtle. It would seem innocent enough to the ignorant. Walking past me with hands full of plates she would just 'happen' to bump her hip against mine, making me notice that rather seductive sway in her hips. Other times she'd 'accidentally' lean against me and press her breasts against my arm and when I would look down out of reflex to see what was touching me, there would be her sinful valley waiting for me. She'd remove her kerchief and brush her fingers through her hair 'to relieve a bit of stress' but at the same time she'd be posing so seductively with her breasts jutting out and her behind angled perfectly while her eyes were closed, looking so soothing and relaxing.

By the time the actual busy time of the night, I don't think I have ever been so worked up since that time Kirche managed to pull me into her room.

"Gonna tell me now?" Jessica purred as she stood next to me, the both of us at the sink, cleaning the last of the dishes before the night time rush began.

"You are relentless," I grumbled. If this kept up I might end up being desperate enough to take Kirche up on her offers when we got back to the school. "But my answer is still the same."

"Okay," the cook shrugged with a laugh. She turned to gaze at me with that simmering gleam in her eyes. "Still, if you tell me I'll let you take me out on that dinner date."

God dammit she did not play fair! "Don't we have work to do?"

I also needed to check up on Louise. Fortunately, there had been no complaints made about my pink-haired partner. However, it was either because she took my lessons (I shudder at the memory) to heart or had actually started to grow more patient with her role…right, patience. That definitely wasn't a trait I would use to describe Louise. Her patience had limits. It was only a matter of time before she made a scene and Scarron had to intervene.

I then heard Louise shriek.

"And there she goes again," Jessica giggled. "Louise seems to get in a lot of trouble."

"Ugh," I groaned.

I just knew that was going to happen.

* * *

><p>"He touched my behind!" she complained.<p>

Well, at least someone thought Louise was attractive enough to cop a feel. It helped her chances of keeping her job at least.

Louise had decided to take my advice and see if she could become pleasant enough to garner a guy's attention so he'd speak about what was going on in the town. She would walk with the sway in her hips that I told her guys liked to see. She had some trouble with it at first, but once the other girls gave her tips she seemed to be fine. She managed to finally listen to Scarron and pour wine like the guys wanted. She smiled, acted cute, and it seemed that no one was commenting on her breasts (or lack of breasts), which helped the situation.

However, Murphy's Law decided to get involved on one guy who couldn't seem to resist the way Louise let her behind whisk from side to side and made a lunge for it while Scarron wasn't looking. That was when I had heard Louise shriek. When we got to see what was going on, I saw her attacking the guy with a riding crop…and the guy was apparently getting into it.

Where she got the riding crop from I had no idea.

I was worried about how everyone would react, but the customers seemed to think the whole thing was hilarious, watching a fully grown man getting whipped by a teenage girl and enjoying it. The girls didn't mind since the rules stated it was strictly look but don't touch in Scarron's inn. Louise may have wanted to take her pound of flesh out of the guy, but I dragged her away with her practically frothing at the mouth. That of course led to now.

"I know he did, and you got him back for it," I sighed, bringing Louise to the kitchen where she could calm down. Scarron would escort the grabby guy out soon enough so she could get back to work. "But look at the bright side, the guys liked you and the tips I gave you seems to be working."

Louise's responding glare showed anything but gratitude

"Oh? He gave you tips did he?" Jessica grinned, coming in from helping her dad just as I said that damning statement. "What tips might those be?"

Sometimes it seemed I shouldn't even have gotten out of bed.

* * *

><p><em>Gerrard hummed a drunken tune as he stumbled down the streets away from the Dancing Faerie Inn. His night had been going great so far! He got paid that day, was able to get smashed, had that super cute pink-haired girl be his waitress, plus she dished out that seductive punishment on him for daring to try and take liberties with her. Ohhh that delicious pain was just so arousing. He'd definitely have to come back and have her punish him again.<em>

"_You…"_

"_Huh?" Gerrard blinked, turning to where he heard a voice. It was coming from the darkness between two building, making ti hard to see who was there. "Whozere?"_

"…_A threat…"_

"_Wha…?" the drunk wondered, stumbling closer to the gap._

"_A THREAT!"_

_Suddenly, a gray, bandaged creature lunged from the alley and tackled Gerrard to the ground with a loud thud. It knocked the wind out of the drunk, making him wonder just what the heck was going on and if he had hit the booze a little too hard. _

_When the creature reared back a fist and began punching him across the face, he realized it was in fact really happening._

_POW!_

_POW!_

_POW!_

_And was that green fire leaking from cracks in its skin?_

_POW!_

_POW!_

_POW!_

_KRACK!_

* * *

><p>After barely managing to avoid Jessica's line of intuitive questioning regarding the 'tips' I might've given Louise, I continued with my work in the kitchen. Hopefully, there wouldn't be anymore incidents tonight. However, Jessica was still trying to get some answers out of me. "So, are you both really traveling buddies or a couple eloping?"<p>

She was really inquisitive. At first I had just thought that since we were the new people, she was just naturally curious. However, with how often she kept asking me about myself, she had so far guessed that I was from Albion, a floating island or from Romalia which was the southernmost country on the continent. She had also asked if I was Louise's butler, guard, and now her lover. When I told her she was wrong it just made her more determined to figure out my story. She'd ask me questions out of the blue which went well beyond curiosity and simply went into being nosy.

"Oh, and are you a coin collector? I caught you admiring an odd one before," she added.

Ah, she must've caught me admiring one of my Core Medals. Well, I did like the feel of them in my hand. Despite being magical now, they were one of the last things I had of my home. While Louise looked after most of my collection, I always had three on me for extreme situations when they were deemed necessary. Of course, Louise hadn't liked that too much since she just couldn't see how outside of another noble or some kind of monster why I would need them. I had to convince her that one never knew unless it happened so it was best to be prepared. So she allowed me to hold onto the Taka, Tora, and Batta Medals along with a handful of Cell Medals, just in case something happened and she wasn't around with the Medal Book.

"A little something I picked up," I replied, setting down a clean plate. "You know, some people consider it rude to pry into people's personal lives."

"Maybe," Jessica grinned. "But when I suspect there's a good story, I just have to hear it."

"I'll bet," I rolled my eyes.

Jessica kept cooking and I kept cleaning, but quite suddenly I heard all of the noise in the main dining area come to a halt. Afraid that something was happening, Jessica and I stopped what we were doing and went to observe what was going on. Looking, we spied a portly man in fine clothes and short orange hair with a pig-like look on his face eyeing the guests and girls alike. With him were five men in similar uniforms who wielded short staffs which had thick heads and looked like they were used for beating off violent offenders, like a police baton.

"Who's that guy?" I asked, noticing how his very presence had quieted everyone.

"He's Turenne, one of the Princess' Revenue Agents for this area," Jessica frowned, eyeing the man distastefully. "He's always using his authority to tax heavily on people who disagree with him and give breaks to people who suck up to him. Anyone who works has to do what he says or else we won't make any money at all."

"You don't say," I scowled. It seems that we had just confirmed the rumours which had Henrietta so worried about how things were going behind her back. The fact that we got this information only on our second day was probably a real stroke of luck. Scarron had helped us in more than one way when he saw us at that fountain.

Speaking of the man in question, he was nervously talking to Turenne in hopes of keeping him in a good mood. The place was packed that night and all the chairs were filled. We just didn't have the room needed to accommodate him and his men. The fact that the pig-like man seemed completely calm while Scarron told him the bad news meant either he was willing to wait for a table or he had something in mind to make room.

"Not enough room?" he asked, sounding sleazy even in his voice. "I see plenty of room," he then snapped his fingers. "Men!"

The soldiers immediately stood alert and raised their weapons. My eyes widened as I witnessed the entire event. Were these guys really going to start attacking people simply to get them out and make room for the tub of lard? Apparently, none of the other men in the room wanted to risk it. They all quickly got up from their chairs, hurriedly paid for their drinks and meals before they headed straight for the door. The soldiers and Turenne at least let them leave, but it left the rest of us to deal with the corrupt noble.

"See?" Turenne sneered. "Plenty of space."

Alright, now I knew this man was corrupt and throwing his weight around. He just chased out all the customers so he could have the place to himself. Definitely a guy who thought he deserved everything and that commoners should just lay at his feet and do as he says. Henrietta was right to be concerned about what her agents were doing. If they were pulling off crap like this then things were definitely not good, no matter how much her advisors tried to say otherwise.

Turenne and his men took their seats at two different tables, but the round noble immediately began to get impatient and demand for service. The girls were quite obviously afraid of the creep and judging by his looks and history, they had the full right to be. The only one who wasn't afraid of him in the first place was Louise as she quickly snatched up glasses for Turenne and his men as well as a large bottle of wine. Stoically, and not wanting to catch the attention of the men too much, she brought the items to the table.

"Good girl Louise," I whispered. "Just be unobtrusive, don't let him notice you."

Setting the tray down had caught Turenne's attention. For a moment, he just stared at Louise in quite obvious disappointment as she unloaded the tray for them. He no doubt had hoped for one of the bustier girls to be his waitress for the night.

"Since when did they start letting guys work here?" he grunted, blatantly staring at Louise's chest.

"G-g-g-guy?" Louise asked, her teeth clenching as she gripped the tray. She was trying to keep her smile up, but only a complete moron would have missed just how pissed off she was becoming with just that one statement.

"Hm?" Turenne blinked, but then started laughing. "Oh wait! She's just flat-chested! They were so small I almost couldn't tell the difference!" The joke made the soldiers laugh as Turenne snickered, watching Louise's ire grow larger with the vein on her forehead. His gaze then turned lecherous as he leaned closer to her. "You know, if you let someone massage them they'll get bigger I hear. I can help you out with that if you like."

"Oh he's so dead," I groaned from my position with Jessica.

*BOOM!*

At first I thought that Louise had managed to cause another explosion with her magic out of sheer force of will thanks to her anger. However, logic and reality quickly set me straight as myself and everyone else looked to the front door which Turenne had his men lock once the others left. It was now slightly caved in with the boards quite obviously cracked and just waiting for another blow to make it come smashing in.

Which it did.

*KER-SMASH*

The door came off in an explosion of splinters and hunks of wood. The girls screamed and began backing away while the guards immediately got up with their weapons raised. Scarron and Louise likewise made tracks to keep from getting caught in the wood explosion. All off us couldn't help but stare at what was coming.

What came though shocked us all.

It stood tall, having to duck in though the door to enter. From head to toe, it was covered completely in dark brown or light brown armour. Its chest was light brown with a red disk on the collarbone with more red disks near the abs. The rest was jagged dark brown amour that looked incredibly thick. Its shoulders were large with more spikes rising up out of the carapace. Orange fur stuck from the elbow joints, which was the only other colour the creature had. Two curved blades came from each of its wrists, looking perfect for cutting something. Its legs had segmented brown armour covering them with more orange fur at the knees. Lastly it's face was humanoid, but orange. The rest of the head was a helmet of brown armour what ended with a stag beetle head on top.

It didn't take me long to figure out what this creature was. After all, I had seen it appear in the Kamen Rider OOO series before. This was the Stag Beetle Yummy and it had not come for a drink. The Yummy pointed at Turenne and growled out, "Threat." It seemed to have already picked out its target though who was its host and what desire had given birth to it I wasn't sure. However, what I did know was that I couldn't let it run wild. Yummies were creatures born from desire and they took to fulfilling their hosts' desires to the extreme, not allowing anything or anyone stand in their way.

"Guards!" Turenne commanded his men to deal with the Stag Beetle Yummy. He no doubt saw it as an unsightly creature but there was definitely fear in his eyes. There was no doubt in my mind that he did not expect this kind of interruption to his evening.

The men immediately rose from their chairs and charged at the Yummy, ready to beat it up with their staffs. The first reached the Yummy and swung at it with considerable force. The Yummy didn't even bother trying to block it and instead let the strike hit its armour. I wasn't too surprised to see the item in question break from the impact, stunning all of the guards and Turenne at what had just happened. The Yummy didn't seem to care before it backhanded the guard, sending him sailing across the room before crashing into the wall which separated the dining room from the kitchen.

The remaining guards instantly froze, realizing that their weapons weren't just going to cut it as well as seeing the consequences of their attempts. Turenne, who still hadn't gotten up from his chair, seemed to be the only one with enough presence to speak, "What are you all standing around for?-! Eliminate that thing!"

The conscious guards looked back to their employer before looking to each other, finally looking at the Stag Beetle Yummy.

The Yummy cracked its neck and began to growl.

"RUN FOR IT!"

"FORGET TURENNE!"

"I'M NOT PAID ENOUGH FOR THIS!"

"EVERY MAN FOR THEMSELVES!"

The men immediately dropped their weapons and ran in the opposite direction of the Yummy, charging through the kitchens and almost knocking down the back door in their attempts to escape. The Yummy didn't seem to care that they were gone and instead began to advance on Turenne. The pig-like tax agent paled and quickly tried to get away, but he tripped over his chair as he moved and instead fell onto his butt with a loud thud. The Stag Beetle Yummy was on his in a heartbeat, lifting him up by the lapels of his shirt. "HELP MEEEEEEE!"

You know, it was times like this that made being a good guy on my O-Driver, I strode forward. I heard Jessica shout to me to get back but I wasn't listening. I then slotted my Medals into the empty slots of the O-Driver and tilted it to its 'henshin' position. It was a good thing I always kept at least three of the Core Medals with me. Grabbing the O-Scanner, I swiped it across the surface of the Driver with the usual chiming noises.

"Henshin!"

"**TAKA!"**

"**TORA!"**

"**BATTA!"**

"**TA-TO-BA TATOBA TA-TO-BA!"**

Again, people gaped at me as I initiated my transformation. The rings of spinning Medals really caught their attention, right after the loud announcement made by the O-Scanner. The waitresses all gasped as they watched the Core Medals line up vertically in front of me before merging and slamming into my body, donning me in the form of OOO TaToBa Combo.

I dashed across the dining room and shoulder tackled the Stag Beetle Yummy with a loud thud. The kinetic force hit the monster hard, forcing it to drop Turenne to the ground. The attack managed to knock the Yummy back, but not enough to get it outside. I didn't want to have to fight the thing inside since that would total Scarron's inn, without a doubt. Ignoring the sharp stabbing pain in my shoulder from the impact, I kept pushing at the Yummy in hopes that keeping it off balance would help me get it outside that much faster. Pressing my hands against its armoured abdomen, I pressed further to try and get it outside.

"You're bringing disharmony," the Yummy growled out, grabbing my shoulders in an iron grip.

Uh-Oh…

I was then _hurled_ clear over the shoulder of the Yummy and straight out of the door into the street. I hit the dirt, skidding a foot or two before coming to a stop. My vision was a little foggy and some breath was knocked out of my lungs. Pain echoed from my side where I had hit, but I was still able to fight and to keep this thing from hurting people, fighting is what I would have to do. Shaking my head, I got back to my feet to face my opponent again.

Said opponent who was running at me with its blades raised, ready for another strike. Thinking fast, I charged back at the Yummy. Once it was close enough, it took a swipe at me which I knew would just ruin my day if I took a hit. Still, I managed to leap to the side where the thing was open and lashed out with a forward punch to where I was pretty sure the kidneys would be on a human being.

*KLANG*

"Ow! Fuck!" I groaned, stepping back as I cradled my right hand. That had fucking hurt! What the hell was it's armour made of?-! I suppose I could only blame myself since I had seen a Stag Beetle Yummy in the series, but I didn't think it would be the exact same in person as it was on a television show! Trying to ignore the pain, I attempted to get my head back into the game so that I could take this thing down once and for all. However, with the distraction my failed punch made…

*POW!*

…the Yummy slugged me across the face.

* * *

><p><em>Louise and all of the other girls winced as they witnessed Matthew get punched by the monster with enough force to stumble backwards and hit one of the buildings that lined the street. He looked dazed and unsteady for a moment before he got his wits back and faced off against the monster once again. The fight was also being watched by the residents of the Dancing Faerie Inn who were lending their support.<em>

"_Don't give up!"_

"_You can beat it!"_

"_Fight on, Matthew!"_

"_I'll give you a kiss if you win!"_

_Good incentive by any means, but Scarron was the one who shouted that last one and it made Louise cringe. Still, she could see that her Familiar wasn't faring so well. She had seen him try to punch the thing, but the armour was just too thick. That punch to the head had also made him loopy, meaning that it was very strong too. This Yummy wasn't anything like the last one that had appeared at her school._

'_He's not going to last,' Louise thought frantically to herself._

_Tearing herself away from the action, Louise ran straight to her room where the Medal Book and the other Core Medals were stashed while she was working._

"_Louise! Where are you going?" Jessica called, giving chase to the pinkette._

"_He needs help!" Louise cried back, running into the set of rooms the waitresses used._

"_And how do you plan to do that by running away?" asked Jessica, keeping hot on Louise's heels._

_Louise didn't reply as she got to her room and threw open the door. She immediately went for the dressers where some of her extra clothes were kept. Pulling open one of her draws, she pulled out the Medal Book. She opened it and found that all of the Medals were accounted for save for the three which he was using outside to fight the Yummy._

"_His coin collection?" Jessica blinked in confusion._

"_His chance at winning," Louise replied before she ran from the room, leaving a confused Jessica to follow._

* * *

><p>Right out in the street, the Stag Beetle Yummy struck me in the chest and sent me tumbling backwards. I got back to my feet and watched as the Stag Beetle Yummy cracked its knuckles. It was taking way too much pleasure in kicking my ass to be an animated pile of metal coins. Yummy would automatically attack anyone getting in the way of their pursuits of desire and normally it was the hero in question, such as I, who would receive the brunt of their anger.<p>

All in a day's work for a Kamen Rider like me.

Boy, was I living the dream or what?

A tiger's roar was heard as the Tora Crest on my chest glowed, the glow going down my arms to end in my gauntlets. The Tora Claws unfolded and I charged at the Yummy. I swung my arms, slashing the Yummy with my claws but unfortunately the thing had a hard shell. Sparks spilled out from the impact points but no damage was done, not even a scratch! This was bad. It, however, snickered and struck me with a straight punch to the chest. I skid backwards several feet again before hitting another building, thankfully not breaking it. Another tiger roar echoed again, but this time it sounded…weak, and warbled. Sparking came from my armour, causing me to look down to see the Tora section of my O-Lung began to spark and flicker. This was the sign of me taking too much damage. Another hit like that might just eject my Tora Medal and turn me into a sitting duck!

"Matthew!" I heard Louise call and I saw her running out of the inn with my Medal Book in hand. Jessica was actually following her, looking like she was ready to grab the pinkette and run. "Hurry, switch with these!" She drew her arm back and tossed me a couple of Core Medals which I caught. I stared down at what weapons she figured would be good for the situation. She had chosen Gorilla and Zou Medals! Perfect!

"Thanks!" I said as I exchanged the Tora Medal with the Gorilla Medal. Before I could slip the Zou Medal in, I saw the Stag Beetle Yummy charging at me once again. Gritting my teeth, I slipped the Driver into its locked position again before scanning the Medals.

"**TAKA!"**

"**GORILLA!"**

"**BATTA!"**

The crests appeared and fused together before combining me and equipping me with the Gorilla Arms. The Yummy wasn't impressed as it kept charging at me. I knew that the Gorilla Arms would take me so far so I had to at least put the Yummy down for a little while. Triggering the power in my armour once again, I used my Batta Legs to leap over the charging Yummy then spun around in midair, aiming my gauntlets at it. The Gori Bagon gauntlets shot out like rockets and smashed into the Stag Beetle Yummy, throwing it through the air with explosive force before causing it to land roughly on the ground. Landing on the ground, I saw the downed Yummy with the smoking spot in its back and decided that I had a good chance for some breathing space. Quickly removing the Batta Medal, I dropped the Zou Medal into its place before swiping the O-Scanner over them.

"**TAKA!"**

"**GORILLA!"**

"**ZOU!"**

The Stag Beetle Yummy got back up and rushed at me again. It tried to claw at me but I blocked with the Gori Bagon before retaliating with a punch. This time, the impact caused it to gag and step back, showing obvious pain from the punch. To keep it further off balance, I stomped my feet into the ground creating several tremors which made the Yummy stumble back further. Seeing my chance to return some of the pain I had been given, I charged at the Yummy and began unleashing several combos of punches which I could almost feel crunch into the monster's armour. That satisfying feeling was only compounded by seeing Cell Medals spilling out of the wounds that the Yummy was struggling to keep closed.

"Matthew, take this!" shouted Louise. I looked and saw a crowd standing behind Louise, some peering curiously over her shoulder at the Medal Book. Apparently now that I was winning, everyone felt that it was at least marginally safer to come out so to get a better view of the fight. Louise's arm reared back before she tossed a Core Medal at me which easily found its way into my hand. This time it was the Kujaku Medal.

"Alright!" I said. Now I knew what she wanted me to do, at least I hope I knew what she wanted me to do. I was just barely getting through the Yummy's armour with my punches. Using a Giga Scan with the Taja Spinner might be what would guarantee my taking this thing down. I had told Louise that finishers used with the weapon tended to be stronger than a regular Scanning Charge attack. Replacing the Gorilla Medal, I slipped the Kujaku Medal inside and swiped the Scanner across the Driver's surface.

"**TAKA!"**

"**KUJAKU!"**

"**ZOU!"**

The red armour replaced the silver version in a flash and the Taja spinner appeared on my arm a literal heartbeat later. With the special weapon on my left arm, I opened up the device and spotted nine slots, each filled with a Cell Medal…wait, nine? Ignoring the sight, I plucked out three of the Cell Medals and dropped them in the Medal Holder at my side. I then grabbed the Core Medals in my O-Driver and placed them in the slots I had freed up. I closed the Taja Spinner and pulled the handle in the back before gripping my O-Scanner. I needed to time this just right. The Stag Beetle Yummy came at me once more with a roar and this was the opening I needed as I held the O-Scanner over the Taja Spinner. The inside began to spin, passing the Medals under the O-Scanner before the names were called out, their images appearing on the front of the Taja Spinner.

"**TAKA!"**

"**KUJAKU!"**

"**ZOU!"**

And then followed by: **"GIN-GIN-GIN GIGA SCAN!"**

I reared back the arm which had the Taja Spinner mounted on it, the insides spinning rapidly as the Core Medals inside began to unleash their power. The Stag Beetle Yummy just kept running, likely aiming to take me down before I could get the shot off.

Too bad.

"SEE-YAH!" I thrust my arm forward and a gray beam of energy shot from the front of the Taja Spinner. It flew directly at the Yummy, hitting the centre of its chest. From the impact point, a sphere of grey energy grew outwards. Everywhere the orb spread, the ground seemed to sink. The Yummy itself ground to a halt, looking like it was struggling with its own body. In a sense, it was since I had unleashed a well of pure gravity to keep it pinned on the spot.

"Phase Two!" I called, aiming the Taja Spinner into the air. This time, I unleashed a massive fireball which shot into the air. It rose up several feet into the air, but then it exploded into several smaller fireballs. They didn't fall though. Instead, they took the form of birds and flew down directly at the Stag Beetle Yummy, leaving trails of gray smoke behind. The Yummy bellowed loudly before the flaming birds collided with it, exploding into a fireball of its own. Cell Medals flew in all directions from the impact, littering everything in silver.

I held the pose for a moment, waiting to see if the Yummy was truly gone. As the smoke cleared, I saw only a blackened ring and Cell Medals all over the ground. That was enough for me to sigh in exhaustion before dropping onto my butt. I was tired and felt like my body was one big bruise. I was pretty sure I was going to be feeling this fight for a while to come, if not be looking like it for the same amount of time.

I turned my O-Driver back to its horizontal position, which caused the armour to vanish. I groaned at as the enhancing abilities of my armour vanished, leaving me back in my regular form. I had to take a moment to get my bearings together before I could stand up. My left eye felt like it was beginning to swell shut while all the muscles in my abdomen felt like just breathing would cause pain. Clenched in my hand were the six Medals I had used for the entire fight with the Yummy. Still, now I had a new horde of Cell Medals to collect and keep from getting into the wrong hands.

Now where to find…?

"KYAAAAAAHHHH!"

I turned around and saw the waitresses of the Dancing Faerie Inn charge at me with bright smiles on their faces. They immediately circled around me and began cheering over how I had managed to defeat the Yummy. I can't quite give you more detail in that sense because they were all babbling at a pace I couldn't quite keep up with so I could only guess what they were talking about. Maybe if the ringing sensation in my ears would stop…

"All right! That's enough!" I heard Jessica shout. We all turned towards her and she didn't look like she was in a good mood. "The bonehead needs some rest and we need to clean up this mess before someone comes along and blames it on us. So everyone grab some pots or something so we can put away these coins." She looked at the mess of silver. "At least this'll probably cover the damages."

"No!" I cried, stumbling out of the circle of waitresses to see the cook clearly. "These aren't for spending! We need to collect every single one and make sure no one gets to them!"

"Why?" asked one of the waitresses. "They look like they're pure silver. That's worth a lot!"

"They're not money! They're magical artefacts!" Louise called, stepping into the mass. "Don't you think that things like these coins that come from a dead monster would be magical in at least a little sense? That creature was created from one."

Jessica glanced at Louise then back at me. Apparently she hadn't thought of that, but at the same time both my summoner and I did know that and we seemed to have some knowledge about the Yummy I had fought. "Alright, now I really want to know who you people are." Shaking her head, she turned back to the inn so the cleanup could begin but instead she spotted Turenne trying to waddle away from the scene. "Hey, he's getting away!"

Louise was actually closest to the guy and quickly drew out her riding crop (where was she keeping that thing anyway?) before she threw it and managed to get it tangled up the in fat man's legs, making him trip and fall flat onto the ground "Where do you think you're going?"

Turenne spat dirt out of his mouth before he got into a sitting position where he could yell at his attacker, "Do you have any idea who I am? I am a revenue agent that answers directly to the princess! Do you hear me? I am…" his voice trailed off when Louise produced a scroll from…somewhere, and let it unroll to not only reveal Henrietta's orders, but her signature and her royal seal stamped in wax. The chubby man's face paled considerably.

"A corrupt noble abusing his power," said Louise simply, with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

Oh seeing him pale made the whole damn night worth it.

* * *

><p><em>Jessica grinned to herself as she took a plate of food toward Matthew and Louise's room. The girls were celebrating with Louise and Scarron over their immense good fortune. Their inn had been rescued not only from Turenne, but from that bug monster too. Scarron broke out his best wine and ordered everyone to celebrate. So while all of the girls were happily getting buzzed over their good fortune, it left Jessica to tend to the hero of the hour.<em>

_Turenne went running after Louise revealed what her purpose was. It was a surprise for everyone to find out that Louise and Matthew had been sent by Princess Henrietta herself to find corrupt nobles who were abusing their authority and report back so she could put them in their place. Personally the whole story was just amazing in Jessica's eyes and she couldn't wait to hear more juicy details from the both of them. One was getting drunk downstairs, but the other was all alone just waiting to be interrogated as far as she was concerned._

"_Knock, knock," she announced, tapping on the door before stepping inside without a care in the world. "Hey there Mr. OOO."_

"_Hi," Matthew groaned, managing to force himself into a sitting position on the bed. He was without his shirt, wrapped in bandages which would keep him from pushing his torso muscles. He was also holding a wrapped cloth filled with ice over his eyes, which had swollen into an impressive shiner. "It must be pretty wild down there. I can hear the party from here."_

"_Well, we do have a good reason to celebrate," Jessica smiled. "You did manage to save us from a corrupt noble and a monster."_

"_The monster was kinda my fault though," Matthew grunted. "I should have kept a better eye on my Cell Medals."_

"_Bah, no helping it now," Jessice shrugged, placing the plate of food on the nearby table. "You cleaned up that mess well enough." She then glanced at him with a slight frown and narrowed eyes. "I'm still not sure if I want to kill you or kiss you for recklessly charging at that thing like you did."_

"_Umm…" the Kamen Rider gulped, not liking that look on her face for a moment. "I'd prefer kisses if you don't mind. I'd like to keep near-death experiences to one a month if I can."_

"_I'm sure you would," the cook nodded. Well, since he asked for it…_

_CHU!_

_Jessica quite suddenly leaped onto the bed and captured Matthew's neck in her arms before planting a nice kiss on his cheek. Leaning back, she giggled as she saw his face turn bright red from the sudden and unexpected kiss. Imagine, the guy who faced down a killer bug monster turned speechless by just one kiss from her. Did she know how to turn on the charm or what? Not that it was hard to do for a guy like him, not after what he did for them._

"_A reward for our brave knight I suppose," Jessica grinned.__"By the way, are you some kind of noble like your friend?"_

* * *

><p>Why did everyone who saw me in my armor have to instantly assume I was a noble or something? Couldn't I just be a guy who lucked into powerful magical artefacts through sheer luck? Apparently not. The waitresses, and even Scarron, had been amazed by the things I could do as OOO and would've been questioning me if I hadn't been injured. However, once I was fully healed they were going to be treating me like a king. At least that's what I assumed. I saw it happen on TV a lot. The hero always gets special treatment. Hell, you help save a bunch of people from a monster and you'd get special treatment too.<p>

Louise was possibly getting special treatment right now too. She had helped by giving me the Core Medals needed to win. I couldn't doubt the fact she knew strategy. She knew just what Medals would help in the situation I had been in and what Random Combo was needed to beat the Yummy. Of course she had paid attention to my lecture of the Core Medals and already knew which random combination of Core Medals would work best.

* * *

><p>"<em>Say Louise, how'd you know that red armour you gave Matthew would help him fight that monster so well?"<em>

"_I wuzzn't tryn ta give 'im the red one! –HIC!- I wanted ta give 'im the orange one! He'd get shields 'at way! –HIC!- Shtupid coins being diffrnt colours in da dark!"_

* * *

><p>Maybe we could make this partnership work out after all.<p>

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, chapter seven for all you loyal fans. Please enjoy and please don't flame me because I follow the events in the anime rather than the manga.


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own Familar of Zero or Kamen Rider OOO. I merely write about them for fun and not profit. Please enjoy the fruits of my labour.

**Chapter 8: The Von Zerbst, The Suitor, and The Searing Heat**

Louise and I had returned to the academy with little fanfare after our excursion into town under Henrietta's orders. Since it was a secret mission it made sense so no one knew the reason why we were gone. We only arrived on horseback during the noon hour while everyone was in the Dining Hall for lunch so no one really noticed that we had come back after our sudden disappearance. Still, the both of us were feeling good after accomplishing our mission.

Since our identities were exposed, Louise and I were forced to leave the Dancing Faerie Inn once I had recovered enough. Of course, Scarron and the girls told us we were welcome to come back at any time. I personally thought the whole experience was good for Louise since it gave her some more feminine confidence as well as got her some new friends that didn't consider her a Zero like the rest of her classmates did. The pride she took in completing such an important mission for her princess was almost physically manifested in that grin of hers. It was really high time that she got to feel good about herself for something she did.

Henrietta was most displeased when she got the evidence we had collected on Turenne and his activities as a Revenue Agent. With testimony from us and the Dancing Faerie girls, as well as just about every working person in town, Henrietta's advisors couldn't explain away Turenne's activities with the usual excuse of benevolence that nobles were expected to have. Last we heard Turenne was slated to lose his position and suffer heavy fines for his thievery from the people. It was also all the excuse needed for Henrietta to begin investigating other claims of noble corruption in her country, which her advisors didn't like at all but even they couldn't deny the evidence and probable cause.

I felt good about that in all honesty, but I was a bit more concerned with the injuries I suffered. The Stag Beetle Yummy had given me a beating to remember. I still had bruises on my torso, but at least I wouldn't feel it just by walking. I still had some fading remains to my black eye, which meant that everyone would be able to tell that I had been in a fight and would want details. Still, Louise and I agreed that if anyone asked where we had gone, we would use the story of how we were hunting a Yummy as an excuse. We wouldn't be able to pull off any other story with how beaten up I looked.

We reached the stables where a servant took the reins while we dismounted onto the grass.

"Man," I groaned, rubbing my butt. "I've heard about saddle sores, but I never thought I'd feel any until now."

"Don't you have horses where you come from?" Louise 'Tsk'-ed as she began to walk towards the dormitories.

"Only for recreation," I replied. I reached to the horse and grabbed some thick saddle bags which were filled to the brim with the Cell Medals we had collected. "Not for actual travel."

"Then how do you get anywhere?" Louise frowned, looking like she wasn't quite ready to believe me.

"Ancient method of transportation: walking," I replied sarcastically. Well, that and cars but I doubt she'd believe my explanation about them.

The pinkette scowled as me as we adjusted our path to head for the girls' dorms. Both of us needed a change of clothes as well as baths. Riding for hours under the sun wasn't exactly the most pleasant method of travel. The scent of horse was strong on the both of us and I for one wasn't happy to have it linger.

Besides, soaking my bruises sounded damn good at the moment.

We eventually made it to Louise's room where she got her things for a bath. I needed one as well, but she got priority over me in that regard since she was the noble and I was just the Familiar. So I would just have to wait for her to finish so I could have one to get the horse smell off of me. So after I set the saddle bags down next to the pots I decided to pass the time and sat down at the table before I began to remove the Core Medals so I could polish them again.

"Good to be home, eh partner?" asked Derflinger, wriggling himself out of his sheathe again.

"Sure is," I nodded. "Thanks for being quiet while we were at the Inn. Must have been hard."

"Bah, I'm no stranger to being undercover," the animated sword scoffed. "Although when that Yummy thing showed up you STILL didn't use me! I'm a sword partner! I'm meant to be used!"

"Ah heh heh heh," I chuckled weakly. "To be fair, you were up in my room at the time. It wasn't like I could have told the thing to wait a moment so I could go and get you."

"Yeah…" Derflinger sighed. "But I still missed out on the fun!"

"Next time," I promised. "Things can't stay calm forever. If nothing else, I might be able to make some Trash Yummies for us to spar with." That was actually a pretty good idea to try. All I would need to do is break a Cell Medal and I would instantly have two Trash Yummies to fight with. It would be a lot easier to do that than track down Guiche and scare the guy into making more of his golems for me to fight. Maybe once my bruises healed…

"Matthew, welcome home!" Siesta called out as she suddenly burst into the room.

The happy maid just barged into the room, something I knew she wouldn't have done if she wasn't so excited. She dashed across the room and I managed to spy a satchel on her back before she glomped onto me with all of her enthusiasm.

"AAAAUUGGH!"

* * *

><p>"Ah heh. Sorry," Siesta apologized weakly.<p>

Both of us were sitting at the table Louise usually reserved for tea. The pinkette herself was still out in her bath, which was thankfully in a communal spot rather than attached to the individual rooms so it was fortunate that Louise hadn't heard that cry of pain from Siesta's hug. So it allowed the maid and I to relax with cups of tea courtesy of the commoner girl. The satchel she had on her back upon her arrival turned out to be sword maintenance supplies that she had promised before Louise and I had gone out on our mission. Supplies that Derflinger was eagerly babbling about in the chair I had supplied for him.

"Oooh! Look at that oil! It's high grade stuff that'll make me shine like the sun! Those rags look so soft! I bet they can polish me up real good! Hey, that steel wool looks tough enough to get that rust off of me easy! Oh wow! That sharpening stone looks so good! I can't wait!"

"I'm happy for your Aibou," I snickered, content to let the sword babble about his gifts. I looked to the apologetic maid. "Don't worry about hurting me, Siesta. You didn't know that I was banged up."

"But how did it happen?" asked Siesta, wincing as she stared quite obviously at my black eye. "What did you do?"

"Well," I grimaced. Time to put my growing lying skills to use. "Remember when we went to town to get Derflinger a while back? Well, apparently I dropped a Cell Medal while we were there. Recently, someone must have picked it up and accidentally created a Yummy. Osmond heard the rumours and sent us to town to take it down since I was likely one of the only ones who were close at hand to deal with it. Needless to say, things got rough."

Siesta winced as she thought about how much fighting I must have done. She no doubt remembered her trials with the Hawk Yummy and the brawl we had when it tried to take me down. The difference was the Hawk Yummy had been freshly evolved when I fought it. Who knew how long that Stag Beetle Yummy had been matured before it picked a fight with me? It would possibly explain just how it had gotten so tough and strong before we fought. It had so many more Cell Medals than the Hawk Yummy did.

Cell Medals which were now sitting next to the two pots in saddle bags. I was really worried about those Cell Medals just laying there in the room. I was going to need a safer place to keep them. I mean they were dangerous in the wrong hands. Imagine if some villain got his hands on them and tried to make an army of Yummies. Or worse, tried to revive the Greeed. That was why I kept my Core Medals as far away from the piles of Cell Medals I had collected thus far. A handful wouldn't be much of a problem but I had enough to recreate the body for at least one of the Greeed.

"Could you tell me about your battle?" she asked, interested. She wanted all the juicy details about my heroic deeds. She apparently already considered me her personal knight in shining armour since I rescued her from Count Mott.

"I suppose," I shrugged. "Well, to help us deal with expenses, Louise and I ended up working in a place called the Dancing Faerie Inn and-"

"Dancing Faerie Inn?" Siesta blinked, her eyes widening.

"Yeah. It's a nice place," I nodded. "Owner's a really nice guy, if not a little strange. Anyway, since we lost all of our money Louise had to work as a waitress while I had to help clean the kitchen. At one point this noble guy came in and started causing trouble, but before he could do anything to anyone the Yummy just broke through the door and started to go for him. His guards ran away so I had to step up and transform into OOO to fight it."

"How brave," Siesta admired with a smile.

"Yeah, but it wasn't easy," I grumbled. "Its armour was really tough and it was super strong. I had to use the Gorilla and Zou Medals just to fight it on equal terms. I may have beaten it like that, but Louise passed me the Kujaku Medal to finish it off."

"I guess that saved you the trouble of finding it," Siesta smiled. "Was anyone hurt?"

"Just me and one of that noble's guards," I replied, raising a hand to my blackened eye. "I managed to get it outside before it could get its hands on anyone else. After that, I took it down."

"What a relief," Siesta sighed, placing her hands on her chest. "I'm glad no one else got hurt."

"Yeah, but I don't think I'll be my handsome self for a while," I grimaced, leaning back in my chair.

"Maybe you could ask one of the water mages in the school to help?" asked Siesta. "That kind of magic specializes in potions and healing."

"Might look into that," I nodded. "Still, I'm healing pretty well so I think I'll tough it out since I'm pretty close to being back to normal anyway."

Conversation suddenly halted when Louise came into the room quite suddenly in a simple dress while she was running a towel through her pink tresses. She looked ahead and saw the three of us at the tea table and took a moment to blink. Siesta let off a small squeak and immediately stood up and looked down in deference. I just eyed Louise for a moment before asking the first question that came to my mind, "So are the baths clear? I'm tired of stinking like a horse."

"It's clear," Louise nodded, apparently too tired to even act like a noble in the presence of the maid. "Just make it quick. I don't want my Familiar to be called a peeping tom."

"Right, right," I nodded. Walking to the closet, I opened it to see in the small corner all of my outfits prepared by Quinn. It seemed someone washed my Eiji Hino costume and my BuraKaWani outfit while I was away, and I had a suspicion of who. Grabbing my red outfit, I headed for the door. "Be back soon. Thanks for the visit Siesta."

Then I left.

* * *

><p><em>Kirche yawned as she stretched her arms at her place in the dining hall. Next to her, Tabitha was reading a book while eating at the same time. The amorous redhead huffed while she poked at her food. Everything seemed so boring lately. After Louise and her Darling just up and vanished for no reason, she hadn't found one interesting thing to do. All of the other boys just bored her compared to her fiery Darling and their attempts to get her attention didn't seem to catch her eye like they used to. Well, she supposed that was what happened when you found Mr. Right. Everyone else seemed to lose their allure.<em>

"_Mnn," Kirche huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. "Say Tabitha. I feel all dingy after all of those classes. Let's say we skip the afternoon class and have a nice long bath?"_

_Tabitha was silent for a moment as she chewed on her vegetables before she gave a silent nod, setting her silverware down. Kirche beamed before she took her silent friend's hand before heading out to get to the bathhouse._

_A good bath always felt nice._

* * *

><p>Bath time was always stressful for me.<p>

It wasn't that I hated having baths. I wasn't ten after all. No, the reason I was so stressed out about having baths was because I had to have them in the girls' bathhouse.

Yes, you read that right.

Before you call me some kind of pervert, please let me explain myself. After I was summoned and needed a bath for the first time, Louise ordered me to use the bathhouse. At first I tried to use the boys' bathhouse, but I found my entry barred by guards. Yes, the bath houses actually had guards so no one would be able to sneak in the breech the privacy of the bathers. Apparently since I wasn't a student and wasn't a guest of any of the male students, I wasn't allowed entry into their bathhouse. The only reason they hadn't thrown me out immediately was because I was the Familiar of a noble and thus at least a little higher than a commoner. The logic still confused me. So after conferring with Louise, she had me use the girls' bathhouse under oath to never speak of things I saw in there with anyone and only use it at times which it would be empty. The only times which she called safe were either at noon during classes where everyone would be in the castle proper or late at night where everyone would be asleep.

I had tried to talk to Osmond about it, but every time I tried, he would go into this daze that would take hours for him to get out of and nothing would get done.

The bathhouse itself was simple, yet extravagant at the same time. It was a big circular room with a huge pool of hot water in the centre decorated by fish statues which poured hot water out of their mouths. Steam wafted everywhere, making it hard to see at first but made even the air seem soothing.

At the moment, I was relaxing in the water with only a towel to hide my modesty. I was letting the hot water soak the bruises on my torso. As soothing as it was though I knew I couldn't stay in the water forever. Eventually I'd have to leave, preferably before someone came in and there was a riot over the scandal of it all. I didn't want to be branded as a pervert by all of the girls in school thank you very much. I had enough problems for the time being.

Soaps and suds were supplied by the school so I didn't have to bring anything beyond my clothes, but they were all scented with roses and the like so it was one of those half full/half empty situations. Still, I decided to make the most of it and just get myself clean, or in this case soak my wounds.

"Man," I sighed, leaning my head on the stones surrounding the pool. "Places like this if nothing else totally makes up for the crappy things that happened to me since I got here."To be fair, I did miss my home. I wondered how everyone was doing without me. Of course, they wouldn't believe the adventure I was having. You see, I was always a huge fan of Kamen Rider, even writing stories about Kamen Riders which I posted on the internet. However, I never thought I would become a Kamen Rider, and OOO himself. Now OOO was the latest of the Kamen Riders and after that was a new series called Fourze. Anyway, as much as I missed home I just couldn't think about it much. I was a real Kamen Rider! I was Kamen Rider OOO! I may be classed as a commoner by their social standards and also labelled as a Familiar due to Louise's summoning, but I showed them that social status had nothing to do with power. My Core Medals gave me the same power as these mages, standing equal to them even if they didn't want to admit it. I missed home to be sure, and I was curious if there was a way back or not. However, I had been scooped up into one adventure after another and hadn't been able to really pursue that train of thought.

I also met some interesting people here.

"Ahhh! The bath is going to feel so good!"

Yeah, Kirche was a character. Incredibly hot, very nice, and I even had to admit that there was a gentle side to her that most probably didn't see. She was certainly coming on to me strongly enough to make me really wonder if she was interested in only a passing fling, but then she'd act like she did at the Ball of Frigg and make me suspect she might be interested in more than that. Still, she didn't treat me like a dirty commoner like most of the other nobles I had met would. Louise may not have liked her, and definitely not liked it when she paid attention to me but I could still count Kirche as among my friends. Although it was obvious she had a different label in mind for the future.

"Mm."

Oh, right. Then there was Tabitha. I had to admit, the girl was as cute as a button. Awfully silent and rather mature though. If she acted as cute as she looked, then there was likely no man in the world save for the completely heartless that would be able to stand against her. She seemed to be the opposite of Kirche in every way, capable of balancing out her blatant acts of seduction while she was around to stop them. Still, she seemed to be a very nice girl who had not said one bad word about my class to me since I met her. Granted, she didn't speak much to me at all but what she had said was never insulting or mean.

'_Wait a second…_' I thought, snapping my eyes open (or as wide as they could painlessly go in my left eye) and turned my head so to look over my right shoulder. '_Please don't let this be what I think it means!_'

My heart stopped cold when in the entrance/exit to the bathhouse proper was not the empty and silent space I was praying for, but in fact occupied by two females. Both were chatting as they came down the steps into the room. One was the girl who I guiltily admit played a starring role in my more interesting dreams now and then. Next to her was the shorter pale girl who was so mysterious and aloof most of the time.

Kirche and Tabitha.

Both were thankfully wrapped in towels, but that was all they had on. Kirche was talking animatedly to her friend while Tabitha merely had a book in her hand as they walked into the steamy room. I admit, they looked good but this was hardly the situation I would have liked seeing them in.

"Aw shit," I groaned. Did I just suddenly get dragged into a cliché anime scenario where the male protagonist gets caught in the female bath by members of the female cast? It looked like I was. Okay, damage control. The steam could be particularly thick here. Maybe if I was silent and moved slowly, I could get out of the water and back into the changing room before anyone noticed me. Kirche may go either way about seeing me in the bath, but Tabitha probably wouldn't enjoy my company.

"Hm? What was that?" Kirche blinked, turning in my direction. Shit! She heard me! I could actually feel my pupil's shrink as the steam shifted and we could get a better look at one another. Kirche's visible eye widened in surprise while Tabitha's eyebrows rose slightly, betraying her slight shock. "Darling?"

"Th-th-this isn't what it looks like!" I cried, turning my head away despite searing the image into my memory. "I thought no one would be in here! Honest!"

"Oh ho ho ho!" I heard Kirche laugh in that sexy way she would. Hell, I could hear the grin cracking out on her lips. "So my darling has a naughty streak does he? Well, that's a most unexpected surprise." She tried to sound like she was going to scold me, but it was obvious she was enjoying the situation. I heard her feet padding across the surface of the floor, increasing my nervousness. "If this isn't a good 'welcome back' situation, I don't know what is." Her hands rested on my shoulders and I felt her breath against my ear. "Welcome back, Darling. Let me take care of you. Being with only Louise couldn't have been a relaxing experience."

"H-hey!" I gulped. God dammit why wasn't I moving? "K-Kirche, we can't do this here! T-Tabitha's watching!"

"Easily fixed," I heard the redhead giggle. "Tabitha, could you give Darling and I some privacy? I want to welcome him back properly." There was a moment of silence before, "Thank you!" I could then feel Kirche's breath at my ear again. "Now that we're alone, fu fu fu!"

Kirche's hands roamed down my chest, leaving trails of fire as they went. My breath was hitched and I can certainly tell you that my tent-making skills made themselves known right then. Her hair rested against my wet shoulders while her almost bare breasts pressed enticingly against my back. Her body felt so incredibly warm and comfortable I felt like I could just drift off and let her do what she wanted with me. Her lips smiled into the crook of my neck as she kissed it. Boy this girl knew what-

"OW!"

A shot of pain ran up through my abdomen, blinking me out of my haze and killing my boy scout tribute.

"Darling?" Kirche blinked, stopping her ministration. "Did I hurt you?"

"A little," I grunted, placing my hand on hers where she had poked into one of my bruises. Grimacing, I pulled it away. "Just sensitive there right now."

"What?" Kirche asked in confusion. She let go of my and stepped into the water, circling around me. The towel was soaked on her hips, making it cling oh so enticingly. She stepped in front of my while clutching said fabric and took on my appearance, large bruises and black eye before gasping in shock, "Darling! What happened to you?-!" She kneeled down into the water, making the towel cling to her even more as she ran her hands over my bruises, gentler this time, as she tried to determine how bad they were. "Don't tell me The Zero lost her temper again and-!"

"No, no," I replied, stopping her accusation. "It was a Yummy. A monster like that bird thing that attacked the school. I dropped a Cell Medal in town while we got Derflinger and it made a Yummy which went active recently. I had to go and stop it. Needless to say, it was tougher than that bird."

"Darling," Kirche grimaced. "Why didn't you go see a water mage afterwards? They could have healed this much more quickly than it is now!"

"It's not as bad as it looks," I lied. It wasn't as bad as it used to be, but it still hurt!

"It looks bad enough to me!" Kirche frowned back. "That's it, we're going to see Montmorency!"

"Guiche's girlfriend?" I asked. "She's a water mage?"

"Yes, and a good one too!" the redhead nodded, standing up. Grabbing my hand, she yanked me to my feet. "Now let's go!" With a mighty tug, she dragged me out of the water and towards the exit. Passing through, I spied Tabitha sitting on the stairs while reading a book. She gave me a respectful nod before getting up and heading for the water.

The things that girl must go through.

* * *

><p>It didn't take us long to find Montmorency. Kirche seemed to know where she was and tracked her down to her room. With how determined the redhead was, I was just thankful that I was able to put my clothes on before she yanked me out of the bathhouse.<p>

Once again Quinn did good work. My jacket was bright red with the TaJaDol symbol stitched onto the back. The Taka, Kujaku, and Condol symbols were on the front over where my heart would be in a triangle formation. The jacket itself looked quite similar to what Ankh would have worn in his Greeed form to be honest. Rather than feathers, I had black lapels on the front and a black belt which held the item shut along with the gold buttons. My pants were a dark crimson which had a feather-like design along the cuffs where my feet would come out. My undershirt was a blood-red which went with the casual use of the outfit, but I had some accessories in case I needed to go formal.

So there we were in Montmorency's room where the girl had what looked like a small chemistry lab set up with a rainbow of coloured liquids bubbling and brewing.

"A healing balm?" the curly blonde frowned. "Why? He looks fine to me."

"He's battered and bruised!" Kirche frowned, looking indignant. She pointed at my eye, "Look! He can't even open his eye completely! Do you want me to show the mess of bruises on his chest as well?"

"Did The Zero finally lose her temper with his disobedience?" asked the blonde, still showing little concern over my condition. I had come to expect that to be honest. Kirche would have answered the question before Montmorency cut her off, "Never mind. I suppose it won't do to have a battered Familiar walking around. The extra practice would come in handy I guess."

"Your dedication surely is the stuff legends are written about," I muttered.

"Do you want the balm or not?" the blonde asked with a frown. "If so then shut up."

I had to give the spoiled girl credit, she knew her potion-making. She moved through the chemistry set like a seasoned pro and quickly produced a cream which actually gave off a small glow when it was fresh. There was no doubt that it was magical and would likely work.

"There," she nodded, handing the small jar to Kirche. "Now could you two please leave? I have important projects to work on."

"Thank you," Kirche nodded as she took the jar. She then turned to me with a smile, "Come Darling, I'll apply this for you."

"Uh…I think I can handle it," I replied, trying not to give Kirche another excuse to try and get my clothes off. The last time in the bath had been close enough for me, although my libido argued otherwise.

"Nonsense! You're my Darling. Taking care of something like this is easy," Kirche argued before she took my hand and dragged me out of the room.

Okay, this was starting to get awkward for me.

* * *

><p><em>Travelling down the dirt roads of the Tristain countryside was an ornate carriage being guided by a single man on horseback riding just ahead of the carriage. Both were decorated ornately with expensive decoration, indicating that the ones riding were of nobility, or at least very wealthy. They drove at a calm pace, indicating that they weren't I any sort of hurry.<em>

_Inside the carriage was a woman who seemed to take her gender by the horns and master it. She wore a single black dress which moulded perfectly to her body. It was decorated with a gold chain which hung at her hips. She had long black gloves which went up to her shoulders and her index fingers were decorated with beautiful red rubies. She was thin and trim and were it not several key features such as the small wrinkles at her eyes, one would have mistaken her to be a woman in her twenties rather than closing in on her forties. Her chest was for lack of a better term, magnificent. Her breasts were easily comparable to watermelons and with how low-cut her dress was, her cleavage was easily visible and held absolutely not sag. It was made even more splendid by her deep brown tanned skin. Her hair was a vibrant red, hanging down to between her shoulder blades. Her face was partially obscured by her flaming red locks, but what part of her face could be seen showed mature beauty which would make men of all ages fall to their knees in worship of this woman. A soft smile was on her lips, reminiscent of that of a mother who was happy for their child. Her chocolate brown eyes were set on a roll of parchment opened in her hands, the possible reason for her smile._

_Gazing at the surface, she read over the words again._

_ Dear Mother,_

_ Mother! I am in love! I do not know how else to better explain my feelings on parchment like this! I had thought that I had truly known the pleasures of love and affection for some time now, I was proven oh so gloriously wrong! He embodies the flames which I treasure so dearly! His strength and passion set me alight! Oh, whenever I think of him I can only describe how I desire him so! I just know that when the time comes for you and father to meet him, you will see the fiery power he holds within!_

_He holds a magic which no one has seen before ever! He wields it like a master and yet it still remains such a mystery! Witnessing him battle to protect us from the fiends which exist in the world, I get shivers of delight just imagining the memories in my mind. He comes from a foreign land, and he is unranked but I have no doubt that it is only a matter of time before he is proclaimed a noble while he has abilities such as his. _

_Now the bad news. He arrived in Tristain when Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere summoned him in her Familiar Summoning ritual. Yes, she never revealed any kind of aptitude to magic before but for once I am happy to have been proven wrong or else my Darling would never have arrived._

_I am positive I shall woo my Darling to my side soon enough. After all, is it not tradition for a Zerbst to steal a man or woman from a Valliere?_

_Your Daughter,_

_Kirche Agusta Fredrica von Anhalt Zerbst_

'_Interesting,' the woman, now confirmed Lady Zerbst pondered as she read over her daughter's words. Kirche had always been a wild and passionate child. Of course there was nothing wrong with that in the woman's opinion. However, it had gotten her in trouble before in her former Germanian school of magic. She had almost destroyed the school and had caused a very big scandal over it all. Lady Zerbst and her husband had seriously considered getting her married to a strapping young man who would be able to properly channel her passions. They eventually decided to hold off on that decision and send Kirche to the Tristain Academy to finish her education since they didn't want her sitting and moping around their house._

_Again, hearing Kirche proclaim her love for somebody was nothing new. The girl, like Lady Zerbst, had a taste for men and once it was satisfied would go and develop a new one. A heartbreaker like her mother to be sure, but this letter felt different. Kirche's proclamations about her feelings towards this 'Darling' of hers actually included having him meet her parents, something the Lady Zerbt's daughter had never done in the past. Oh she'd brag to her mother about whatever strapping young man she had managed to catch the eye of, but she never spoke so seriously of a man before, especially one she hadn't been intimate with if she caught the hint right. Vallieres were so possessive of their property, especially when a Zerbst was around. It was why the redhead had decided that a visit to her daughter would be in order. Her husband was away on some military exorcise anyway so she had nothing else to do for the time being._

"_Lady Zerbst!" the carriage driver called to the redhead, snapping her attention to him. "We should be arriving in the city by sundown. We can head to the academy at our leisure tomorrow."_

"_That's acceptable," Lady Zerbst nodded. "I am in no hurry."_

_Report received, Lady Zerbst looked back down to her daughter's letter, 'I am most interested in meeting this young man.'_

* * *

><p>Kirche had been persistent, but I managed to convince her that I could apply the balm myself. Now I had things to do, like polishing Derflinger for instance. Wirth the supplies that Siesta managed to obtain, it wouldn't be long before Derflinger was returned to his natural sheen. I just needed to remove all that rust which had accumulated after many, many, many years.<p>

As I went up the female dorm, I couldn't help but notice a few girls giving me appreciative glances. Kirche had said that I looked dashing in red and these girls couldn't agree more. It did incidentally make me wonder how Quinn was doing working on the rest. So far she had finished almost all of the outfits with just one or two left to do. I was hoping she'd finish up soon so I could see all of the results. I knew what I had wanted them to look like in my head, but seeing them in reality was something else.

Reaching Louise's room, I entered and noticed that she was holding the O-Driver while looking through the Core Medals. She was staring at them intently and looked deeply curious about them.

"Find anything interesting?" I asked, snapping her out of her inspection.

"Not really," the pinkette yawned. "I was just wondering what kind of alchemy would be needed to create something like this and the Medals. I don't think many Square Class Earth Mages would be able to figure out how to make things that work like these."

Well, she wasn't asking me why I had taken so long in the bath so this distraction would be running well. I wondered why she wasn't in class, but so long as she didn't catch wind of Kirche having found me in the bath then I wasn't going to question it.

"It's not solely limited to earth magic simply because things are made of metal," I replied, walking around the table to grab Derflinger and the sword maintenance supplies. "Alchemy isn't like potion-making either. It's the reconstruction of matter into something it wasn't before. This goes further because the Core Medals have the essences of animals infused into them. Has anything in your history of magic been done like this before?"

"Well…not that I know," Louise shrugged. "I guess that's what makes the mystery." She looked up at me. "So where are you going?"

"To polish Derflinger," I answered, making the sword cheer.

"WAHOO!"

"He's overdue for one," I finished, rubbing my ear. Man that sword could be loud.

"Oh," the pinkette shrugged. "Go ahead then."

Nodding, I headed back out to find a secluded spot so I could get my work done. Hopefully Derflinger would be able to help me through this since I didn't have a clue how to take care of a sword properly. Meanwhile, Louise continued to study my Core Medals and I could see her making notes. Maybe she was thinking of more Random Combos for the future? Well, she was pretty smart. She would no doubt think of some interesting Medal combinations for me to use in future battles.

* * *

><p><em>After spending the night in a rather acceptable inn, Lady Zerbst was once again on her way towards Tristain Academy. She had sent a messenger to the academy ahead of her so she was sure that they knew she was coming. She hoped they would give her a proper welcome.<em> _On the other hand, she hoped to surprise her daughter with her visit. It had been a while since she had seen Kirche and since their last parting had been a little strained, she hoped this visit would be much more pleasant._

_They arrived at the school and came to the main entrance. Lady Zerbst patiently waited for the driver to open the door for her. Once he had done that, she daintily took the driver's hand as she stepped out onto the ground. Right in front of the school was none other that Old Osmond and a bespectacled fellow she recalled to be one of her daughter's teachers._

"_Ah, Lady Zerbst," Osmond greeted with a smile as she approached. He was of course polite and welcoming…but she didn't fail to notice that his eyes were having a difficult time rising to her face from where they seemed to be stuck on her breasts. Still, she didn't mind. It was free to look after all, otherwise she wouldn't have put so much effort into making them look good in the first place. "It was most unexpected when your message arrived. I regret we didn't have too much time to prepare for you."_

"_That's all right Headmaster Osmond. I don't mind," Lady Zerbst smiled. Glancing at the other man, she couldn't help but let her grin turn sultry. Hmm, he was certainly handsome in his scholarly own way. There seemed to be a spark in his eyes that seemed to catch her attention. It had been some time since her last fling and she had been getting the itch recently… "I don't think your assistant and I have been introduced before."_

"_Uh?" the bespectacled man blinked, obviously not expecting to be brought into the conversation. "Oh, excuse me. My name is Jean Colbert. I am one of the teachers here at the school. It's a pleasure to meet you."_

"_Oh the pleasure is all mine," Lady Zerbst smiled. A teacher eh? Oh, she may just have a perfect excuse to get some time alone with him then! "You say you're a teacher? You wouldn't by any chance have my daughter in any of your classes then do you?"_

"_Ah, yes I do actually," Colbert nodded. "She is without a doubt one of my more passionate students."_

"_As expected of a Zerbst, especially a daughter of mine!" Lady Zerbst giggled. "Oh we must get together and share tales then."_

"_I think I can make the time," Colbert nodded._

'_He's so innocent!' Lady Zerbst giggled in her mind. She didn't think he got any of her sultry intentions. Oh she was going to enjoy rocking his world when she saw her opportunity. Turning back to Old Osmond, she noticed that his eyes still hadn't left her chest. She also noticed that there was a mouse sniffing around the edge of her skirt, but she didn't make any noise about it. The mouse was probably one of the two men's Familiar who was making sure nothing untoward was on her body, like a weapon or something. "Actually, the reason I was visiting was to meet with my daughter concerning a letter she wrote me about someone she met as well as hinting about some events that had occurred recently."_

"_Ah," Osmond nodded. "I assure you that there are no dangers to our students, although we did suffer some excitement due to that Foquet incident. You daughter actually had a hand in stopping her. I assume she told you?"_

_Lady Zerbst frowned, "She neglected to mention that much," Shrugging off the information, she decided to stay on topic. "With all of the excitement she was conveying in her last letter, I decided to come visit her and see what got her so excited myself."_

"_I see. Well, I'm certain she's in her dormitory since there are no classes today," Osmond nodded, his eyes still glued to Lady Zerbst's breasts. Colbert seemed to finally notice what the headmaster was doing and tried to subtly get him to stop but the man was hypnotized. Lady Zerbst also noticed the mouse poke its head underneath her skirt. So it wanted a peek at what she sported underneath eh? No doubt to report to its master, likely Osmond. _

_Silly mouse, it was assuming that she was wearing panties._

_Well, maybe blowing the old man's mind would make for some decent entertainment as well as give herself and Colbert some time alone._

"_Well then, shall we go see her?" Lady Zerbst asked with a smile._

* * *

><p>Derflinger and I were both out in the courtyard surrounding the school, using one of the trees as a place to sit down and get some work done. For me, it was an extensive chore. For Derflinger, it was a long overdue cleaning.<p>

"Partner, you really did a bang up job!" said Derflinger happily. "I'm almost rust free!"

"You should thank Siesta for getting the supplies," I said to my sword. His blade almost had a pure silver sheen to it. Before long, he would be in good condition and not look like an eyesore. "So, you tell me you're like 6000 years old?"

"Yeah, that's right," said Derflinger.

"You sound like a tsukumogami," I said, comparing him to the mythical creatures.

"What's that?"

"Oh, just objects which gain souls and sentience after 100 years," I summarised. "You're pretty old so maybe after over 100 years you became sentient. Heck, you might be the only one of your kind."

"That makes me pretty unique!" the sword preened.

It had taken me the rest of the previous day to get to where I was now with Derflinger. When I said he was rusty, I meant he was _rusty_! Every inch of him was covered in the stuff. In fact, the only points which I was positive weren't covered in rust were the strips of cloth which covered his handle, everything else was brown with caked on rust. As I sad before, his blade had a silver sheen which looked way better than just a slab of regular iron. Also the hilt and the quillon which made his 'mouth' were made of a yellow metal which I dared to think may have been gold, or at least something similar. He still needed to be sharpened though and another thorough polishing to make him shine like a proper sword would be needed once all of the serious maintenance was taken care of. What was odd though was that for all the rust covering him, none of the metal was corroded or in need of replacing. Whoever had forged Derflinger knew what they were doing.

Everyone had the day off from classes that day so I decided to use it to finish cleaning Derflinger while Louise got caught up on the work she missed while we were on the mission for Henrietta. He had been guiding me through the process the whole time and thankfully everything was going well. The rest of the day felt like it was going to be a little boring so perhaps I'd get some training in. Maybe I could even test out my theory on Trash Yummies?

"Ah, that's the spot Partner!" the happy sword sighed as I worked on a particularly tough patch of rust. "You're getting it!"

"Thanks," I nodded. "I'm surprised you got this rusty though. I mean, wouldn't people want to take care of a talking sword?"

"Well, I was sort of left alone for a really long time before some bandit picked me up," Derflinger replied. "That's how I got rusty. They sold me to that salesman who never bothered to try and clean me since we kept getting into arguments. So I hung around that shop for a while before you and the girl came in and bought me."

"I see," I nodded, taking the rag away to scan for any more rust. "I think I got all of it. Can you tell if there's any more rust on you?"

"Ummm….nope! You got it all!" the sword answered. If it could, I swear it would be grinning. "You did good Partner!"

"Good, because now it's time to sharpen you before we polish you one last time," I grinned. "Then you'll be as sharp and shiny as you are when you're my Medajalibur."

"All right! Let's do this!" the animated sword cheered. Of course I would need a guide to know how to use a sharpening stone. Setting aside the rags and oil, I pulled out the sharpening stone and got ready to give Derflinger his cutting edge back. To be honest, this was a long time coming and I wanted to get it done.

"Matthew!"

I blinked and looked up to spy Siesta walking towards us with a basket in her arms. She happily strode towards us and I could see that her basket was filled with food. My stomach gave off a groan, alerting me to the fact that it wanted to be fed. There was probably only so much more I could do before it decided to rebel on me anyway. Maybe this was the time to actually take a break so I can take care of myself. I'm sure Derflinger would understand.

"Ah, Siesta!" I greeted with a wave. "What's up?" Still smiling, Siesta reached us before she took a seat next to me. She then presented the basket for my viewing pleasure, which made my stomach become more agitated with its emptiness.

"Have you eaten? I brought some things from the kitchen if you were hungry," she said to me.

Bless you Siesta, bless you.

"Hey, maid girl, thanks again for the sword maintenance supplies!" said Derflinger, interjecting himself into he conversation.

"You're welcome, Derflinger, and my don't you look shiny," she complimented with a smile. It never really ceased to surprise me how accustomed she got to Derflinger's presence. I mean, even in a world where magic was commonplace a talking sword had to be something no one had ever seen before. Still, Siesta had taken it all in stride and even now had gotten supplies to help take care of said sentient sword.

"Well, Partner really did a great job. Of course I had to tell him how to do it right," said Derflinger.

I had to learn how to clean a sword from a sword. Well, if anyone could teach me how it would be Derflinger. I mean, who better to learn sword maintenance from? Setting Derflinger to the side, but making sure he didn't get dirt on his newly cleaned surface, I started helping myself to the food that Siesta had been so generous to bring for me.

"Did you hear the news yet?" asked Siesta. "A noble from Germania is coming to visit the Academy today."

"Really?" I blinked, biting into some bread. "Why would they come here? Doesn't Germania have its own academy?"

"Yes, but since Lady Zerbt's daughter goes to this school, I understand why she would visit," Siesta nodded.

"Wait, you mean Kirche's _mother_ is coming to visit the school?" I asked, showing some surprise.

"Yes!"

"Oh…"

I was actually of a mixed mindset when that information got to me. On one hand, this could be a completely innocent visit with the Lady Zerbst just making sure her daughter was getting along fine and wasn't causing any problems. Parents would sometimes do that when their children were in school. However…I really had to wonder what kind of woman would give birth to a girl like Kirche. For all I knew, the two could be like peas in a pod and it was from her that Kirche learned her ways. I guess I would have to wait and see.

In the meantime, I had a sword to sharpen and food to eat.

* * *

><p><em>Lady Zerbst arrived at the girls' dormitories, which Osmond and Colbert decided not to enter. That left the redheaded woman to find her daughter's room herself. Of course, they did give her the position of the room so it was hardly difficult to go and find it. So, after some flights of stairs Lady Zerbst came to a stop in front of one of the rooms. Without hesitation she brought her hand up and rapped on the door. Maybe she could catch her daughter in the midst of a fling with her darling and teach them a thing or two.<em>

"_Who is it?" she heard her daughter call._

_Well, there was always Colbert._

"_Your mother," Lady Zerbst called back._

_The door flew open to reveal Kirche, looking quite surprised to see her mother. In fact, anyone else who was looking at the pair could have easily mistook the pair for sisters and had done so numerous times in the past. Kirche blinked, but then broke into a joyous smile. "Mother! It's so nice to see you!" The two redheads connected with a hug before planting kisses on each others cheeks. They then pulled back, but kept their hands gripped together. "Whatever are you doing here?"_

"_Well," Lady Zerbst smiled. "Since my daughter has written home about her new Darling which she would like us to meet, I decided to just see who could have been manly enough to snare her so." She eyed her daughter and noticed a red feather pinned to the lapel of her shirt. "I wasn't aware the school allowed you to accessorize your uniforms. A gift from your darling?"_

"_Hm, yes," Kirche nodded with a smile, running a finger down the plumage. "He gave it to me when we had a meeting in the night. Sadly our time together was interrupted but before he left he showed me his fire and gave this to me as a reminder."_

"_Oooh, how scandalous," Lady Zerbst cooed. "I simply must meet this young man."_

"_Oh that would be wonderful!" the younger Zerbst squealed. She then turned serious for a moment. "But remember Mother, he's mine first."_

"_I would never dream of taking him for one of my flings," Lady Zerbst swore solemnly. "Well, not without your permission of course."_

"_Then we shall have no problems," Kirche grinned. "I think I saw him heading outside. If we look I think we can still find him there."_

"_Then let's not waste any time!" Lady Zerbst smiled, matching her daughter's grin._

* * *

><p>"Well, that out to do it," I sighed setting aside the polishing rag.<p>

"You look splendid Derflinger!" Siesta beamed, admiring the sword.

I admit that with Derlfinger's guidance, I did pretty well. His blade was now razor sharp again and with the polishing I had done, looked like it was made of silver when exposed to sunlight. His guard and quillon looked like it could actually be real gold rather than the metal which it was truly composed of. Just holding the finished blade made me feel like a more competent swordsman even though I didn't really know all that much about swordplay.

"I feel so incredible!" Derflinger quivered. If he were any happier, I think he would have been crying if he could. "Say partner, let's go find some enemies and test out how sharp I am!"

I was way ahead of him at that point. Reaching into my pocket, I produced a handful of Cell Medals. Taking out two of them, I clenched them between my teeth before pocketing the rest. With the Cell Medals put away, I took the two from my mouth and prepared to use them. Cell Medals had an interesting property of creating Yummies when they were inserted into a person, but when you broke a Cell Medal the magic within it would produce Trash Yummies from the pieces. Trash Yummies couldn't transform into the beastmen forms like true Yummies could and they could only produce one Cell Medal a day while they were inside of a human being. However, they were strangely durable and unrelenting even if they were as dumb as posts.

In other words, moving training dummies.

"If this works, we'll be able to have new training partners without bothering Guiche for him golems," I grinned, placing the two Medals to the ground. They were stacked on top of one another, which would make things easier for me. Hefting up Derflinger, I raised him into the air before I brought him down onto the two Cell Medals with considerable force. To my happy surprise, the two Medals snapped in two quite easily under Derflinger's blade.

"Hey Partner, you trying to make me lose my edge already?" the sword asked irately.

"Just getting our training partners ready," I replied, stepping back. "Siesta, this might be a little shocking so don't freak out too much."

"Huh?" was all the maid could reply with.

She wouldn't get to ask more when the Cell Medal shards reacted. From each piece, gray bandages unfurled and began coiling around themselves. It looked like a mess of gray at first, but the coils began forming limbs and bodies which were struggling to stand up. Gray dust erupted soon after from the shards and began filling in the gaps. The end result was a humanoid figure wrapped in bandages with gray skin like a Yummy, but all four of these had a dark hole in their heads where a face would normally be.

"Derflinger, meet our new training dummies, the Trash Yummies," I grinned.

"Ahh, I like it!" the sword smiled (or would have if it had lips).

"EEEP!" Siesta squeaked in fear.

The four Trash Yummies stood still for a moment, but their empty gazes landed on the three of us. Grunts echoed from their throats before they started shambling towards us like a small group of zombies. Siesta squeaked again as I simply stared them down. Trash Yummies were hardly dangerous and would only be a true threat when there were a large number of them as in more then ten. These four would just be a warm-up.

"So, are you going to change partner?" asked Derflinger.

"No, I want to take these guys on myself," I answered. "Trash Yummies aren't VERY dangerous. They can take a hit but not much else. Besides, this is to test how sharp you are."

"Well, you know what you're doing I suppose," the sword replied. "Now let's show these things what we're made of!"

"You read my mind!" I grinned. Bending my knees, I gripped Derflinger in both hands and prepared to charge…

…when my hand began to grow hot and light began to shine.

"What the-?" I blinked, looking to the source. To my surprise, the runes which had been etched into my hand were shining with blue light. I didn't know what it meant, but it suddenly dawned on me that it was time I investigated what they meant. I silently made the vow to stop letting myself get distracted by the day to day events. I also had a few ideas on who to ask about them.

"Partner!" Derflinger shouted.

I blinked and recalled just what I was doing. While I was busy being stunned, the Trash Yummies managed to get closer to me. The first of the flour was already lunging forward to grab me. With Derflinger in hand, I unleashed a slash which moved at a speed I thought I could only do while I was in my armour. The sentient blade struck true and the Trash Yummy was sent sprawling backwards, spewing a blast of gray dust from a wound extending across its chest.

"Hey, not bad," I grinned. "Usually it takes more than that to cut a Trash Yummy," I looked to my sword. "Looks like you really did get your edge back!"

"Alright, now let's cut them down!" Derflinger cheered enthusiastically. I smiled in kind. The Trash Yummies came at us and I gripped Derflinger tightly before knocking them back with a swing that struck them in the chest. They moaned in what I assumed was in pain but they still kept coming. Trash Yummies were a lot like zombies. They weren't as intelligent as their true counterparts but they were still pretty persistent. I might as well compare them to Guiche's own Valkyrie-style golems. Hm, my own golems. Maybe I could…nah. They were only good for cannon fodder anyway.

"Go, Matthew!" Siesta cheered, at the edge of her seat as she watched me fight the Trash Yummies. I had to admit it did wonders for my ego for a cute girl to cheer me on.

The Trash Yummies managed to stumble back onto their feet and began their approach again. Taking another stance with the rune power pushing adrenaline through me…or what felt like adrenaline, I charged at the quartet. My speed was much higher than what I was used to outside of my armour. I dashed past each of the four Trash Yummies, unleashing slashed with Derflinger as I went. Passing the fourth Trash Yummy I skidded to a halt. I turned and saw that the four Yummies had ground to a halt. They were still for a moment before large cuts opened in their bodies spewing out more dust before all four dropped to the ground.

"That…was awesome!" I grinned. I had only ever seen something like that happen in an anime!

"I can actually feel myself become more impressive!" Derflinger crowed. "Let's finish these things off!"

"I guess we proved you're just as sharp as ever," I nodded, lifting my friend up again. "This time we cut straight through!"

I prepared myself for another charge, this time aiming to destroy the Trash Yummies completely. I gripped Derflinger tightly, letting the runes pulse again. As expected, the Trash Yummies rose again despite the open and dusty wounds on their bodies. It just rammed home the point that the Trash Yummies could indeed take a beating before finally going down. They were perfect for testing out moves and techniques though. Now it was time to take them down with my Hissatsu Attack, Version One!

WOOOSH!

Unfortunately, I was prevented from unleashing what would have been a finishing blow on the four Trash Yummies by a tornado which as far as I knew, came out of nowhere. The Trash Yummies were picked clear off the ground and hurled through the air before coming back down onto the dirt with heavy thuds. On each impact, the Trash Yummies exploded into clouds of dust and debris. The only remains were small patches of gray dust and a shard of a Cell Medal which dissolved into silver powder.

"Uh…did you do that Partner?" asked Derflinger.

"No, I didn't," I grumbled. So much for my cool finishing move. Maybe I could use it on the guy who butted in on my training dummies? Looking to the direction the tornado had been coming from, I tried to find out who threw a tornado at my Trash Yummies.

Walking towards us in a prideful pace was a guy who looked like he seemed to be in his twenties. He was wearing fancy clothes which were easily attributed to the nobility which were coloured a royal red with gold accents along the edges of the coat as well as the ends of the sleeve. He had a travelling cloak on as well as a broad-brimmed hat which were both coloured red. Gripped in his hand was what I first thought was a sword, but it was rounded and didn't look like it was made for the sheer purpose of cutting. If anything, it looked more like a foil with a blunt tip, like for fencing. Under his hat he sported black hair and darker skin than most people I had seen in Tristain. Perhaps Germanian like Kirche? His eyes were narrow and sharp, with strongly defined features. All in all, he was definitely a bishonen.

"Ah, I see I was right on time," the man smiled. "I'm glad those beasts weren't able to hurt anyone."

My pride wanted me to slug the guy for interrupting, but I struggled to keep my composure. This guy probably thought the Yummies were attacking the school and were going to hurt someone. He reacted like a good person would. Never mind that I had the situation in hand and was perfectly capable of ending. He just wanted to help.

"You seem to have me at a loss sir," I smiled tensely. "Who might you be?"

"Allow me to introduce myself then," the man nodded, approaching me. "I am Viscount Alejandro Conquista la Corleone. I am glad to see that I was able to prevent those beasts from harming you and your lovely companion."

I grimaced slightly as I sheathed Derflinger while Siesta merely blushed and hopped to attention in the presence of a noble. Inhaling to keep my tone civil, I managed to reply, "Your concern is noted Viscount Corleone, but what you had rescued myself and my friend from were my own golems."

"Your own golems, you say?" Alejandro blinked. He looked at my clothes. "You don't look old enough to be a member of the staff nor are you dressed as a student."

"I'm neither," I confirmed, "And yes those were my golems. I was using them for training."

"Were you?" the Viscount blinked. "Well, it seems that I perhaps owe you an apology then. Forgive me for interrupting you."

"Think nothing of it," I replied politely. "In the end, they are easily replaceable."

"Indeed they are," the man nodded. "I must confess a curiosity that if you aren't a teacher, and you aren't a student, then why are you here at Tristain Academy at all?"

That was a good question. I didn't want to admit that I was Louise's Familiar since the guy would never respect me or even treat me like a human being. Still, maybe there was a way I could get around that. Weren't the best lies ones with bits of truth in them?

"Special services to the school," I replied. "I don't know if you've heard, but some time ago this place was attacked by thief known as Foquet the Crumbling Dirt. She made off with a powerful artefact after breaking into the school treasury. The headmaster of the school made a callout for assistance, but I managed to hear of the incident and offer my services in dealing with her. Myself and selected individuals managed to defeat Foquet and return the object. I was to stay here until such a time that the headmaster decides it is safer."

"I see," Alejandro nodded. "So you are a travelling mercenary then?"

"No, just someone who wanted to do a good deed," I smiled. That much was true. I was one of the only four people who volunteered for the mission to capture Foquet, even though nobody noticed in the face of three nobles desiring to help.

"A good deed you say," the man nodded, looking warily at me. I had a feeling he may not have believed me so far as the not being a mercenary bit went.

"Darling!"

Alejandro and I both turned towards the source of the voice and to my lack of a surprise, it was none other than Kirche. She was running towards us, bouncing the whole way if you know what I mean. She certainly looked happy, and I guess she wanted to have another crack at seducing me. That or she was going to offer to apply that healing balm on me again, (which I have to admit worked like a charm.) Next to me, Alejandro began to grin as he spread his arms as if he were waiting for a hug, "Beloved!"

*MOOSH*

Kirche blew right past him and glomped onto me, predictably placing my face in her breasts. The impact still got me as a surprise even though I was able to see it coming so I ended up tumbling backwards to the ground. I could already picture the look on Alejandro's face, no doubt shocked at how he had been quite suddenly blown off by Kirche in favour of her smothering me with her chest.

"Oh Darling, I'm so glad I found you so quickly!" she cooed. "We heard the commotion from my room and I knew immediately it had to be you!"

"MPH!" I managed to choke out. I think I managed to find an air pocket this time, but it wouldn't last long! I had to escape!

"How dare you?-!" I heard Alejandro suddenly shout out. "You blatantly sit there and take advantage of my-!"

"Ah, is this him, Kirche?" a new voice spoke out. It sounded like a mature woman…

"Yes, Mother!" was the redhead's reply.

Kirche removed herself from me, letting me see daylight again. She took my hands and pulled me up to my feet. After orienting myself, I managed to see who was dealing with. Of course, Alejandro was there, but he looked like he was building up a head of steam at how Kirche had been lavishing me with her attention rather than him. In front of us though was a woman I hadn't met before, but it was obvious that she was Kirche's mother. I mean, it was either that or she was an older clone of the girl. They both had long red hair and tanned skin, not to mention the pair of them had lovely, curved bodies that were being shown off to their full potential with the woman's being far more developed. The only way to tell she was older was the slight laugh lines on her face which were visible as she smiled at me with her daughter on my arm.

"L-Lady Zerbst, I presume?" I greeted weakly.

"Yes," the noble lady nodded with a smile. "And I am to presume you are the 'Darling' that my daughter spoke so fondly of?"

"This is him Mother!" Kirche beamed. "Isn't he dashing?"

"Well, red is certainly his colour," the Lady Zerbst hummed as she eyed me from top to bottom in my TaJaDol outfit. It gave me the feeling of being presented like a side of beef for the viewing pleasure of interested buyers. "I think I can feel an air of mystery around him. Didn't you once mention he comes from outside Halkenginia?"

"I do my lady," I nodded, trying not to show too much nervousness.

"Ah, how mysterious," Lady Zerbst purred. "I think I'm beginning to see why my daughter favours you. I look forward to learning _everything_ about you."

I shivered at the husky tone of her voice. God, where Kirche was raw sexuality this woman was sex given life! Every curve, every inch of her body revealed just how much of a woman she was. Whoever her husband was, I felt myself envying him for snagging such a woman to be his wife.

"L-Lady Zerbst!" Alejandro sputtered, looking increasingly indignant. "Are you just going to stand there and let this…this…lecher take advantage of my fiancée?-!"

"Fiancee?-!" I sputtered. Kirche was engaged?-!

…

Hey, what did he mean by lecher?

"Alejandro?" Kirche blinked, turning to look at the viscount. "When did you get here?"

The Viscount began to sputter, quite shaken with the fact that his supposed fiancée hadn't even noticed him when she had run right by him and into the arms of another man. However, before he could begin another spiel about his fiancée, Lady Zerbst cut in with a 'tsk, tsk', "Now now Corleone, you know those plans were never finalized. It was merely a suggestion."

"A suggestion your husband strongly favoured," Alejandro retorted.

"Yes, but again nothing was confirmed so my daughter is free to pursue whoever she wishes," Lady Zerbst retorted.

It seemed that despite looking like a Victorian era of social development, women were hardly the demure and obedient figures of the household that I feared they would be seen as outside of the school. If Lady Zerbst could talk back so uncaringly to someone who was also a noble and perhaps had some pull with her husband, she obviously had some personal standing in the world beyond her social status. Not to mention she had backbone.

Still, hearing that Kirche might have been engaged almost stopped my heart. For a moment, I thought I may have been in the position of a reverse-scarlet woman. Still, I was still going to have to deal with a guy who may have a genuine relationship with her coming up. I wasn't quite sure where that put me.

I had an odd feeling that I might end up being challenged to another 'duel of honor' like I had been a while back against Guiche. I didn't really have any reason to expect it. I just got a feeling that it was going to happen. Alejandro looked rather offended now and his patience certainly wasn't getting any better. No doubt Lady Zerbst's denial of his claim wasn't helping the situation any. All it needed was one spark to set this growing powder keg off.

"Now then," Lady Zerbst smiled. She walked over to where Kirche and I were and took my free arm opposite of her daughter. "Why don't the three of us sit down and get to know one another better, hm?"

I gulped.

* * *

><p><em>Siesta ran like her life depended on it, running for the girls' dormitories. Well, her life didn't depend on it but Matthew's did! Her knight in shining armour was being propositioned by that Zerbst girl and her mother, possibly hinting at marriage! There was no way Siesta was going to let her knight be married off against his will, no matter how pretty or busty the girl in question was! If he was going to marry anyone, it was going to be her! Still, she was just a maid while Kirche and her mother were nobles. If anyone had a chance of stopping this travesty, it would be another noble and Siesta knew just who to tell!<em>

"_Miss Valliere! Miss Valliere!" she cried, reaching Louise's room and throwing open the door._

"_Bwah!" the pinkette cried, torn away from her schoolwork. Spotting the maid, she immediately scowled at her. "Now see here maid! You cannot simply barge in and-!"_

"_I'm sorry but this is an emergency!" Siesta interrupted. "It's Matthew!"_

"_What?" Louise blinked. "What about him?"_

"_Miss Zerbst is propositioning him again," Siesta answered quickly. "But her mother's here too and I think they're trying to get him to marry her!"_

"_WHAT?-!" Louise shrieked. She was immediately up and out of her seat with her wand clenched tightly in her hand. She was trembling slightly and her eyes had taken on a truly dark and dare the maid think evil outlook. "T-t-t-that tr-tr-tr-TRAMP! Trying to seduce my Familiar! Oh I should have expected this! Z-Z-Zerbsts always try to steal what is a Valliere's!" She turned her gaze to the maid, making Siesta gulp in fright. "Maid, tell me where they are!"_

* * *

><p>Siesta wasn't the academy's only maid. She was just the one I knew the best. Still, when Lady Zerbst had called one of the maids to serve tea, the young girl went off to gather the items before coming with a tray that had a teapot, cups, and cake.<p>

Somehow, I had ended up seated between the Zerbst mother and daughter with Derflinger lying across my lap while the three of us conversed in a fancy sitting room that the academy apparently had for special guests. I noted that Lady Zerbst was staring at me like a cat would a canary. I tugged at my collar, wondering how the hell I got into this kind of situation in the first place. Kirche was of course almost vacuum sealed to my arm, apparently quite happy to simply sit next to me. Of course, I did find her hand trailing towards my thigh, forcing me to clasp her hand which she merely intertwined her fingers with mine.

It didn't exactly help my nerves that Alejandro was nearby, apparently an acting guard for the Lady Zerbst. However, he didn't have too much attention on the world around us in favour of staring holes into my back. He obviously wasn't pleased with how Kirche seemed too fond of me when it seemed he considered himself to be her future husband. Well, I guess I'd be cheesed off too if a girl I liked was interested in someone else but it wasn't my fault Kirche was stuck to me like glue! The girl just had her tastes and apparently she thought I fit into them.

"Kirche has told me about your mysterious magic," Lady Zerbst commented. "I must admit that I am curious about what she told me when I asked her about you. A suit of armour which has interchangeable pieces, each their own unique power? I don't think I've heard of something like that."

I could see that she wanted to know just how my magic worked. I really didn't see the harm in telling her and Kirche about the Core Medals. It wasn't like they could do anything with them at the moment. Resigning myself to retelling the tale, I took out my O-Driver, and my Taka, Tora and Batta Medals as well as a Cell Medal and put them on the table. An explanation would be much simpler with visual aids.

"These items are the source of my magic," I told Lady Zerbst. The only reason I had just my three main Cores was because Louise was still holding my Medal Book 'hostage'. So, I told Kirche's mother the tale of the first Kamen Rider OOO, a king from 800 years ago who desired godhood, masterminding the creation of the Medals and the Greeed through alchemy, and then fighting the same Greeed for their Core Medals. The end of the story was the one I had witnessed on my computer screen before, where the king tried to use all the Core Medals with disastrous results, turning himself into a stone coffin as well as sealing the Greeed into himself along with the Core Medals.

"Wow," Lady Zerbst was astounded by my tale.

"I only came across these items by luck," I told her. "And I've been collecting the rest of the Core Medals once I learnt about them."

"Desire...how interesting," she smirked.

"The Medals are all the physical manifestation of human desire." I nodded. Well, the majority of them were, but the purple ones were the manifestation of the absence of desire.

"My, my, my. You are most definitely becoming more interesting by the moment," Lady Zerbst purred, making Alejandro cough from his position and make me have the sudden urge to gulp in nervousness. Kirche didn't say anything as she tried to bury my arm deeper into her cleavage. She had paid rapt attention to the tale but strangely hadn't said anything. I would have expected her to make a passionate outcry by this point. Maybe she just didn't want to interrupt her mother since the meeting was apparently going well?

"There is something that strikes my curiosity more than these though," Lady Zerbst continued, playing with my Taka Medal. "You're very well-versed in the history of these Core Medals as well as the Greeed and that awful king you mentioned. You speak as if you had seen the battle between them yourself; too well for even a celebrated scholar. Then there's also the fact that you are so cautious around the Medals and know their abilities so thoroughly. It makes me wonder…"

"Wonder what?" I asked. I was noticing a gleam appearing in her eye, one that I had seen on Kirche now and then when she was getting in the mood to seduce me. Needless to say, I saw it a lot.

"Are you perhaps a descendant of that king who tried to usurp divine power?" she asked quite blatantly, leaning in closer to me.

Woah! That was a conclusion that I wasn't quite expecting. Yeah, Henrietta said it once but she didn't sound half as serious about it as Lady Zerbst was! Well, I could just tell her I came from another world and that my items were once toys. However, they would just think I was crazy, even if this was a world of magic. So, I just answered the best I could and try to dispel such an idea, "I've done my research, found some old texts when I was looking for the rest of the Core Medals. I'm no member of royalty."

"But you are the only one who can use these items," she added. "Anyone who had an artefact as powerful as your belt would no doubt make sure that only one of their blood could use it. Also, the king would probably have a harem of concubines or wives, right? I mean you did say he desired many things, so women wouldn't be off the mark. Maybe you are descended from him through one of his many women?"

"Darling, is this true?" Kirche gasped, her eyes wide with surprise. Again, I could hear Alejandro coughing over something, no doubt getting ready to blow his stack over the fact that he had just gained a powerful rival, albeit unintentionally, for Kirche.

"Uh…well…" I began. That was a damn good argument. I didn't know a whole lot about the corrupted king so he could have had numerous mistresses and a bunch of bastard children who had descendants. We only knew that Kougami was the man's descendant who wished to push humanity forward with the power of the Core Medals. Still, I knew that I wasn't related to the jerk by any means and would have to try and convince her of that.

"I suppose it would make sense if you didn't know," Lady Zerbst shrugged as she sat back, still looking at me with that gleam in her eyes. "To be an illegitimate child to a man who committed the ultimate sin by attempting to usurp God's powers would be quite the shameful cross to bear. Still, I don't see any reason why you can't be treated properly considering you have the bloodline and the magic needed to be considered a noble in Helkenginia." She then put a finger on her chin as a thought came to her. "I'd avoid Romalia though if your story ever does get out though. They're very religious there."

"I'll keep that in mind," I replied.

"But still, you could find nobility in Germania," she suggested leaning in close.

"Isn't nobility denoted by the use of magic?" I asked.

"Oh, generally that's true but in Germania anyone with enough money can buy a noble title. Or, if you have a recommendation from a noble family. There is, of course, one other way," She was so close I could see down her cleavage and boy was there a lot of it.

"Yes…?" I responded, my voice rising in pitch. Was it getting hot in here? There two Germanian beauties were so damn close. I never thought I would be in such a situation. Boy, I wonder how the guys back home would react to me gaining the attention of Kirche and her MILF of a mom?

"Marriage," she finished.

"ZERBST!"

Saved by Louise.

Louise's shout was loud and all of us turned to see her stomping our way. She was mad but I was relieved to see her! I don't know how much I could take. Tucked under her arm was my Medal Book and I think I saw sheets of paper tucked between the pages as well. No doubt those were some notes she had been working on. She must have been in the middle of making notes when she somehow found out about what was happening.

"Louise!" I cried out happily. Oh, thank god for her. She came to my rescue and…was that a riding crop in her other hand?

"Hmph!" Kirche pouted. "Interrupting my time with Darling again Louise?"

"More like rescuing my Familiar from your corruption!" Louise frowned, coming up to our table. She turned her gaze from Kirche to me, making me flinch. "And just wait until I decide on your punishment for being led along so easily by someone like her!"

"Uh…but…" I tried to defend myself.

"No excuses!" Louise ranted, her hand trembling in rage over her riding crop.

"Oh you are definitely Karin's daughter," Lady Zerbst commented idly, resting her chin in her hand as she casually observed Louise. "You have her hair and her uptight attitude over everything that's even remotely fun."

"What?-!" Louise shrieked, her gaze snapping over to Lady Zerbst. Her face was flushed from fury and I think it was so much anger that she forgot she was talking to Kirche's mother who was in fact one of the upper society of Germania, not simply her rival like Kirche herself was. "Who are you to say such insulting things about my mother?-!"

"Well, if you are Karin's daughter then you've probably heard stories about me," Lady Zerbst smiled in that predatory manner of hers. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Emma Francesca Liilith von Zerbst. However, you may know me as Emma the Searing Heat."

The effect that Lady Zerbt's runic name had on Louise was instantaneous. Her angry flush vanished in favour of turning deathly pale. Her jaw dropped and her eyes bulged into a massive size. She trembled on the spot and dropped everything she was holding. She just stared at Emma for a moment before her eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out onto the floor with a dull thud.

"Woah!" I gasped, extracting myself from Kirche and dashing to the pinkette's side. Gently grasping her shoulders, he sat her up before shaking her slightly. "Louise! Louise! Wake up Louise!"

"Oh dear, it seems the shock was too much for her," Emma grimaced as she stood up and walked over to check on Louise. "I suppose Karin wasn't very flattering in her stories about me."

"A bit of an understatement if this is her reaction," I muttered, making sure Louise didn't hit her head too badly.

* * *

><p>I gently laid Louise on her bed. Siesta was also helping me by putting a wet cloth across Louise's forehead. While Kirche wanted me to stay and talk some more with her and her mother, as Louise's Familiar (and friendpartner) I had certain obligations. Taking care of Louise was one of them. Alejandro was certainly happy to see me go though. So with some quick goodbeyes, I had hefted Louise into a bridal carry (discovering she was incredibly light) and took her back to her room.

"Man she's really knocked out," I said as I looked at her. She looked comatose.

"The shock must've been immense," Siesta noted.

"No doubt," I nodded. I might need to ask for some details about Kirche's mother. What did she say her runic name was? Emma the Searing Heat? She even mentioned Louise's mother; Karin the Heavy Wind. People didn't get names like that without reason. From what I knew so far nobles which displayed impressive abilities were given runic names to show how powerful they were once they've gained a reputation. Hell, Guiche got himself a runic name for how well he could craft his bronze golems.

I'd have to ask Louise about that. I could ask the Zerbsts about it but I knew Louise would get angry at me for leaving her for them, which I had no intention of doing. Louise had been so terrified that she just fainted. Who knew she could get frightened by a runic name? Well, her mother may not have painted such a pretty picture of Emma and if Louise reacted with fear instead of anger in the face of a Zerbst, Louise's mother had pretty much given Louise a mental image of Emma being a total monster.

Just how fierce was the rivalry between Valliere and Zerbst?

"All we can do now is let her rest," Siesta sighed, finishing with the wet cloth. "Just what was it that could have shocked Miss Valliere so much? She is usually so steadfast in the face of anything."

"Kirche's mother introduced herself," I replied, sitting at the tea table. "Louise must have heard of her or something."

"I heard that the Zerbsts and Vallieres have a strong dislike of one another," Siesta nodded. "We see it all the time in Louise and Kirche. The stories their parents must have told them…"

"I get the picture," I agreed.

As much as I would have preferred to use my day practicing with Derflinger on some Trash Yummies, it seemed now I was on bedside duty. Oh well. There were worse fates. I could end up still being sandwiched between Kirche and her mother. That was a position I could call being on the dividing line between heaven and hell. Trying not to think about where that would lead, I stood up and heaved a sigh. "I'll go get a fresh bucket of water. That one's probably getting warm by now."

"Mn," Siesta nodded. "Thank you."

Nodding, I took the bucket of warming water and headed to refill it with a cooler batch. Hopefully I wouldn't get anymore surprises today. I think I already hit my daily quota.

* * *

><p>I was at the fountain, filling a bucket for Louise when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Slightly surprised, I turned around to find a familiar face looking at me. "Alejandro?"<p>

"You, what is your relationship with Kirche?" he asked, scowling.

I sighed. I really didn't want to entertain this guy considering I had more important things to deal with, like taking care of Louise for example. "Can we talk about this later?" I asked. It was getting late already. I didn't want to have to deal with a pissing match with a noble over a girl.

"No, we cannot," he denied. "Now what is your relationship with her?"

I sighed again, feeling the urge to blow the guy off but I knew that I couldn't without some kind of insult to his pride which may end with a duel. I didn't want to have to fight a viscount since winning may open a new can of political worms that I just didn't want to deal with. Add to the fact that he was Germanian in Tristain and it might turn into an international incident. Still, I was tempted to just say Kirche and I screwed like bunnies every night just to piss him off. However, I wasn't that much of a dick on my worst day and I decided to be honest hoping to keep him from getting into his pissing match.

"As of now, Kirche and I are friends," I finally replied. "Despite her advances, we have not engaged in any sort of scandalous behaviour beyond what you had seen today." Save for that one time she had Flame drag me to her room. "I'm sorry if you're upset that she decided to pay some kind of romantic attention to me, but her own mother stated she's free to pursue anyone she wishes."

"And your intentions towards her?" he pressed, growing more sour at my reply. Likely anything other than an outright denial of a relationship with Kirche would have made him happy.

That question forced me to think. What were my intentions with Kirche? I mean, for a long time I just assumed that she was after me since I was the man of the hour and she was looking for a fling to pass her time until she found her next boy toy. Still, the way she held onto the feather I gave her, our interaction during the Ball of Frigg, and just yesterday with how she insisted she help me take care of my wounds gave her credence that she might be looking for more than her next fling. Hell, she introduced me to her mother for crying out loud! Still, her mother seemed just as promiscuous as her daughter was and I still remember how she eyed me like a piece of beef.

"Right now, I am happy with our relationship as is," I finally replied to the viscount's question. "I don't know if it will become romantic in the future or not, but we'll just have to wait and see."

"Kirche is _my_ fiancée," Alejandro growled, stepping up to me so that my vision was nearly engulfed by his face.

"Not according to her mother," I replied. "And I'll defer to her judgement in this situation rather than yours right now."

I think I just made him madder. Maybe because I was calm or maybe because I didn't really consider him worth my time. Either way, he took it as an insult to his pride. I guess I could have been a bit more tactful, but he as rubbing me the wrong way. "I challenge you to a duel!"

"No," I answered immediately.

"No?" he questioned, outraged, "What do you mean no?"

"No, as in I refuse," I retorted. I learnt to pick my battles and this was one that wasn't worth anything except to satisfy this guy's pride. He was tolerable when he was polite but now he was really tempting me to beat his face in. "Did you remember what I told Kirche and Lady Zerbst about my artefacts? Do you know what I'm truly capable of in battle?" I questioned. I was trying to talk him out of doing something stupid. I wasn't underestimating him but OOO was something completely alien to this guy. Still, a part of me wondered if I could actually take him in a fight.

Well, we may not actually have to go that far.

Unfortunately, Viscount Alejandro wasn't about to give up. He removed his glove and tossed it at my face. The fabric slapped me and I glared at him before picking it up out of sheer reflex. "Aha! You have accepted!" he declared victoriously.

Oh…son of a bitch. I remembered in history class back in my world that European nobles would throw a glove down to declare a challenge and by picking up the glove one had accepted. It seems that this whole place was very closely related to my own world's old Europe in more ways than I thought. "You do realize it's forbidden for duels between nobles to be conducted here, right?"

"Oh, but you admitted it yourself that you are not one. Of course there is suspicion you are from a fallen royal bloodline," he countered. "Regardless, you have accepted so prepare yourself. Tomorrow, at noon, at the Vestri Court we duel." He turned and I watched him go before hanging my head in dismay. I wondered what being I pissed off to deserve this.

* * *

><p>"So, Kirche's fiancé challenged you to a duel and you accepted," said Louise as she and I had some tea that Siesta brought over. It seemed to help calm her nerves but her hand still trembled. She had woken up while I was gone dealing with Alejandro and Siesta had brewed some tea to help sooth her nerves since she was still recovering from the shock meeting Emma had brought. At the moment, I was sitting next to Louise's bed while she was in it wearing her nightclothes.<p>

"I didn't do it on purpose," I tried to defend myself, but it was a weak argument at best.

"You still accepted," Louise shot back. "Now Zerbst is going to be unbearable once she hears the news."

"Speaking of which, Louise, I know this might not be the best time to ask, but why exactly does Kirche's mom frighten you?" I asked. "Also, she mentioned your mom: Karin the Heavy Wind. Do you mind elaborating? I kinda wanna know more about what happened to make you faint after just hearing her name.

"My mother was a member of the Manticore Knights," Louise confessed, possibly losing some of the shakes in her arms. "She was their commander if I must be honest. She is constantly praised as being one of the most powerful wind mages in the history of Tristain."

"Let me guess: she would ride a Manticore into battle?" I commented and Louise nodded in confirmation.

"That creature was so fearsome, so majestic, and so powerful," Louise stated. She sighed. "Unlike me," she mumbled. I guess I can understand why she had such an inferiority complex. Her mother had summoned an 'ideal' Familiar and was hailed as 'the' wind mage of Tristain while Louise had summoned me and had little control over her magical abilities.

I kind of felt insulted but then again Louise had not expected to summon a human as a Familiar, but considering I could use the O-Driver and Core Medals she didn't think it was quite so bad anymore. But without my gear I was as weak as a regular commoner. That still wasn't good. A Manticore on the other hand would likely be strong, impressive, and terrifying all the time even when it was taking a nap. I suppose I could see the appeal in having one.

"And Emma the Searing Heat," I prompted. "What exactly did you hear about her?" I wondered if Louise's mother had made Emma look like the boogie man and Louise had to check under her bed as a child to make sure Emma wouldn't spring out and attack her or something. It must've traumatised Louise to make her react like that.

"I-I d-d-don't wish to t-t-talk about it!" she trembled, nearly spilling her tea. OK, now I get how bad it was. She was pale and shaking like a leaf.

"Okay, okay, just calm down. Let's forget about her for now," I said soothingly. I didn't want to force Louise to tell me, if just mentioning the woman would cause this kind of reaction. I think I would rather get my info elsewhere instead of traumatizing Louise right now. It seemed that I would have to go straight to Kirche or Emma herself for that information. "Let's just focus on how I should deal with Alejandro."

"Well, you could just transform and beat him," Louise said simply.

"I could, but it might cause an international incident. He's a Germanian Viscount," I retorted. "The last thing I want to do is end up sparking another feud between Tristain and Germania with yours and Kirche's families leading the charge."

"But he was the one who challenged you," she pointed out. "It won't be a problem since it was a formal challenge to begin with. The matter would be settled by the outcome of the duel," she concluded.

"But, he's challenging me for Kirche," I added. Louise choked on her tea.

"Almost forgot that part." She knew that if I won Kirche would never leave me alone but if I lost then well it would probably hurt her pride. Such a dilemma. "You shouldn't have picked up his glove."

"My mistake," I admitted. "It won't happen again." Sighing, I stood up and walked to the tea table where my Medal Book was perched next to Louise's notes. Opening its pages, I began to look through my collection to see if I could think of a strategy. It was the Day of Void tomorrow and he did say we would duel at noon. Of course, that just meant that there would be an audience to it and in a place like this, word travelled fast.

* * *

><p>It was with a distinct sense of Déjà vu that I found myself walking back into the Vestri Court with the intent of duelling someone. The last time I had done something like this, I was dealing with a schoolboy who had wanted to save face in light of being revealed as a playboy. That had brought about the small group of people who were interested in seeing Guiche beat down a commoner at the time. This was going to be drastically different. This time I was squaring off against a Viscount. He had likely been fully trained as a magic-user and likely had connections with the military, meaning that he was no stranger to battle. There was also a much bigger crowd this time, including numerous members of the serving staff. Siesta was of course in attendance, but so were many other maids and even some of the cooking staff, including the head chef who was likely my biggest fan next to Siesta. I could even see some of the teachers attending. At one side was Kirche and her mother with several girls whispering excitedly around them. Both Zerbst women looked downright excited at what was going to happen, although Kirche seemed more animated than her mother who seemed more observant.<p>

"No pressure," I muttered to myself.

"You brought this on yourself," Louise retorted.

"Sure, blame the guy who didn't know duel acceptance customs," I grumped. "Please tell me you have the Medals still?"

"Just like the last three times you asked," the pinkette answered. "You just concentrate on fighting and don't you dare make me look bad!"

"Right, right."

I approached the large audience and found that Alejandro wasn't in attendance yet. Well, that was just fine with me anyway since I didn't want to have to fight him in the first place. Maybe if I was lucky he had overslept and was going to miss out on his own duel.

Okay, it was a pretty pathetic idea but I really didn't want to be here!

WOOOSH!

My thoughts were cut off as a tornado kicked up in the middle of the circle of onlookers. Naturally, everyone backed away as they tried to shield their eyes. The wind was there for only a moment before it died down. Blinking the dryness out of my eyes, I looked to where the tornado had begun and found my opponent staring back at me, looking as pristine as ever. Several white feathers rained down from above, making me and many others look up to spot a white winged horse flying away from the area. Apparently Alejandro like to make a spectacle of himself.

"I see you had the spine to face me," Alejandro nodded. "Good. At least you have courage befitting the role Lady Zerbst believes you hold."

"Oh not this again," I sighed. It seems Lady Zerbst and I were going to have to talk about her theory. Shaking my head, I stared down Alejandro, "Okay, if we're going to duel then Louise shall act as my second, holding my weapons should I feel the need to use them. Is that permissible?"

"It is permissible, but no weapon you have shall defeat me," the viscount retorted sharply. He raised his sword up so that it was parallel to his face, the tip pointing up. "Today you don't face some simple thief! You face a Viscount of Germainia! You face, Alejandro the Crimson Wind!"

"An honour, I'm sure," I nodded. Reaching into my jacket, I produced the O-Driver and attached it to my waist.

* * *

><p><em>Kirche watched in anticipation as her Darling attached his belt to his waist. She could feel the anticipation practically ready to burst from her skin. She couldn't wait to have her mother see how well her darling performed. See his transformation was always her favourite part.<em>

"_You'll love this, Mother," she grinned._

"_From the way you're acting, I dare say I will," the elder Zerbst commented, her eyes not leaving her daughters new fixation._

* * *

><p>Retrieving the Taka, Tora, and Batta Medals from another pocket, I looked up to Alejandro who didn't seem nearly as nervous I was sure I looked at the moment, "Well, allow me to reveal to you my secondary name," I slotted the Taka Medal into the first slot. "I certainly hope you'll be able to remember it," I slotted the Tora Medal. "Because I'll be branding it into your mind," I slotted the Batta Medal and locked the Driver into place. Taking the O-Scanner, I swiped it across the surface. "Henshin!"<p>

"**TAKA!**"

"**TORA!**"

"**BATTA!**"

"**TA-TO-BA TATOBA TA-TO-BA!"**

The three Medal images appeared before me and combined into one. Then it flew backwards and became the O-Lung crest which formed my suit. The armour formed and transformed me into my alter ego. Now ready, I stood tall and pointed at Alejandro, "I am Kamen Rider OOO!" I also had Derflinger with me and at the same time he had transformed into the Medajalibur. I drew my sword and prepared for battle.

* * *

><p>"<em>My, how majestic!" Lady Zerbst was definitely impressed by the transformation and the armour which formed. Kirche of course was cheering loudly which made Alejandro scowl once he recovered from watching the strange magic at work. He had expected mystical armour but nothing like what he'd witnessed. Still, he couldn't let his opponent know that he had become slightly rattled by the sudden transformation.<em>

* * *

><p>"So, this is the power of the fallen king you've now inherited," Alejandro observed, moving into a ready stance. "Not very impressive."<p>

"Maybe not to you right now, but I think you'll find that this armour isn't just for show," I retorted. Looking down at my sword, I spoke, "Aibou, you ready?"

"Let's wipe that smile off his face, Partner!" Derflinger cheered.

My hand felt hot as I gripped the weapon, but now I knew that it was because of the runes on my hand. Ignoring it in favour of the current situation, I charged at the Viscount with my weapon raised. I wanted to end this fast before either of our emotions got the better of us and we started getting into more dangerous moves. Hell, I wanted to end this before he could start using those damn tornadoes of his on me!

"Yah!" I cried, slashing at him with my sword. Derflinger clashed against the steel of his sword wand, which proved to be made out of sterner stuff than I thought despite the thin shape it took. The blades scraped against one another before we pushed back. I dug my feet into the dirt and charged again, but this time the Viscout danced around me, aiming to thrust at me with the tip of his weapon. My reflexes managed to save me as I twisted on the spot and deflected the blow with Derflinger before attempting to punch Alejandro in the face. Despite the admittedly uncouth attack, he managed to dip under and thrust at me again. The tip of his weapon impacted against my torso, bringing sparks and forced me several steps backwards

"Take this!" Alejandro bellowed, thrusting his weapon at me again. This time though, a small tornado fired out and impacted against my torso heavily. He force sent me sailing backwards before I hit the ground with a soft thud. My vision swam for a moment before I looked up, spotting Alejandro with a small tornado whipping around his weapon.

"Oh this is going to suck," I groaned.

Alejandro thrust out his wand and sent another tornado hurtling at me. With my reflexes still going on strong, I pushed myself to the side, thankfully avoiding the wind attack as it actually tore into the dirt around me. Tucking my legs under me, I activated the power of the Batta Legs as the Viscount fired at me again. I jumped high into the sky, dodging the blow and came back down onto the dirt again. However, I only had enough time to roll out of the way of yet another attack from the Viscount.

"Dammit!" I grunted as I got to my feet. Okay, time for a change! "Louise! Turtle and Octopus!"

"Right!" Louise shouted back. Dodging a fourth wind attack, I turned to see what the pinkette's progress was. She had just shut the Medal Book and was holding the Cores in question in her hand. Pulling her arm back, she threw the Medals in question at me, but not just an orange one and a blue one. She also had a green one sent towards me.

Using my enhanced muscles, I jumped slightly and caught the Medals out of the air before turning to face the Viscount again. I checked my hand and found the Tako, Kame, and Kuwagata Medals looking back at me. Why would she give me…?

Oh duh! How could I have missed that?

Looking at Alejandro, I sheathed Derflinger before I stood up and quickly removed all three Medals from my belt before tucking them into my belt's Medal Holder. I swiftly slotted the three Medals into place before taking the O-Scanner to them with the normal chiming noises.

"**KUWAGATA!**"

"**KAME!**"

"**TAKO!**"

The three images appeared and combined with me to form the new pieces of my armour. The Kame Arms and Tako Legs appeared with the Kuwagata head on top of it all. It had a green faceplate shaped like a stag beetle with the back shell acting as the mouth plate. The legs of the beetle decorated the sides of my helmet with the jagged horns of the beetle rising up from my head. My eyepieces had turned orange with an orange stone on my forehead and at the beetle's mouth.

The Tako Legs went into action quickly as they rooted me to the ground with their suction cups. Now that didn't have to worry about being blown away, I could begin my own counter attack. Electricity sparked and lanced between my horns as I kept my eyes trained on Alejandro. The Viscount looked a bit confused, but he continued on his attack by shooting yet another one of his damn tornadoes at me. Gripping my fists, I brought the Goura Guardna shields together, activating their full power. The tornado crashed against my shields, bringing an orange backlash which actually broke the tornado and sent wind streams flying in all directions upon impact.

"This is incredible!" Derflinger cheered.

"It's only gonna get better," I grunted, keeping my balance in the face of the assault. Thank God for those Tako Legs keeping me steady. Sooner or later, Alejandro would have to eventually stop his assault when he sees that it wasn't working. When he did, he would see how my elemental attack would go!

The tornado continued for what felt like an hour longer which is was more like twenty seconds or so. Alejandro's attack finally petered out and I was able to see him again. He looked a little surprised that I had managed to weather his attack unscathed but I wasn't about to give him the chance to try for a second attack. Buzzing enough in my ears before the power of the Kuwagata Head started to activate. Green electricity crackled between my horns before bursting through the air towards the Viscount.

And tagged him right in the chest.

I think I also heard him scream over the crackling noises the Kuwagata Head made. The way the audience was wincing confirmed that he did.

The force struck Alejandro and sent him off of his feet before he crashed to the ground. The centre of his outfit was smoking and blackened at the impact point. His groans were audible as he struggled to get back up to his feet. His face was etched in pain, indicating that the voltage I had hit him with must have been a good jolt. Well, in this case too little would have been just as bad as too much. Still, that magic number was what I hit to give me my opening.

Letting the Tako Legs let go, I charged towards the recovering Viscount with the intent of ending the duel. I grabbed Derflinger from his sheathe on my back and brought him out to catch the light on his blade. As I reached Alejandro, he tried to get back up to his feet. Lucky, he wasn't as quick as he normally could be which allowed me to kick him down onto his back. Before he could grab his weapon to launch another tornado, I activated the Tako Legs again. This time, the armour detached and transformed into blue tentacles which grabbed his arms and legs and effectively pinned him. I then placed the tip of Mederflinger to his throat."

"I believe this is my win," I spoke.

"Just try to hit us with another wind spell," Derflinger challenged, sounding quite ominous if I had to say so.

Alejandro looked like he wanted to spit in my face, but he never would have gotten me at this distance. My tentacles were pinning him in place and he couldn't reach his sword wand to use against me in an attempt to escape. Struggling would just threaten to cut him with Mederflinger's edge. He was pinned with no chance of victory or escape. Knowing this, he only had one option open to him.

"I…concede," he growled, looking like the words caused him pain.

I nodded and released the Viscount from my grip before recalling the tentacles into my armour. I stepped back and Alejandro got to his feet. He looked boiling mad, but now he didn't have an excuse to try and beat me up again. I had won the duel and any further attempts at violence would bring the academy guards down on us. Of course, the massive blow to his pride would likely sting for some time to come. However, I wasn't going to cry a river for him. He had challenged me and I had won. It was over.

Or so I thought.

GLOMP!

"Darling, that was incredible!" Kirche cheered, blindsiding me with her breasts once again. "Mother, isn't he wonderful?"

"You shameless tramp!" Louise shouted in outrage at the sight. However, her angry scowled quickly turned into an expression of terror as she saw Lady Zerbst coming.

"Matthew MacGregor," said Lady Zerbst as she looked at me. I could tell she was admiring my armour since she was looking at me from top to bottom, making me feel like a slab of meat on display again. Hearing about it was one thing, but seeing it in action was something else altogether. To her I had used unknown magic which had only been used once and only exclusive to a member of royalty. Somehow I could guess what her intentions were from the look in her eyes.

SMOOSH!

My head ended up trapped between two sets of breasts and if I wasn't wearing my helmet I would've suffocated.

"Welcome to the family, son-in-law!" said Lady Zerbst.

What!-?

"WHAT!-?" Louise shrieked, her fear forgotten in her outrage over a Zerbst trying to steal away her Familiar. Her hand was trembling more now with that ever-present riding crop in her hand growing ever more ominous. I cringed, just looking at it. Oh man, I knew I was going to get it. I glanced at Louise and also Siesta who seemed to be trembling like Louise, looking just as displeased as Louise was at Kirche. Yeah, I was definitely going to get it.

Maybe it would've been better if I had lost.

While Kirche and Lady Zerbst were attempting to mould the image of my helmet into their breasts, I gave into the temptation and activated the power of the Tako Legs again. The armour peeled off and formed into blue tentacles. I had them gently wrap around the waists of both Kirche and her mother before managing to pry them off of me and lifting them into the air. While I watched hang in the air for a moment, I couldn't help but be reminded of certain anime films of a more adult nature…

"Oh, kinky," Lady Zerbst smiled as she observed the tentacle around her waist. "Kirche, would you mind if I borrowed him after you've hard your turn?"

I couldn't help but gape at what I had just heard. Was I hearing things?

"Hmm," Kirche commented, tracing a finger along the tentacle which was holding her. "Maybe.

Okay, so I wasn't hearing things.

I set down Kirche and Lady Zerbst before recalling the tentacles into my armour. It was likely quicker than what was considered graceful, but I didn't want to give the pair any ideas or chances to try and snare me again. With some distance between us, I felt reasonably safer in removing the O-Driver. So after plucking out all of the Core Medals I used in the duel, I removed the Driver proper and returned to my normal state. The audience, silent in their surprise at seeing what I did to a fully accomplished magi, started to cheer for me with the serving staff in the lead. Even some of the teachers were getting involved.

"That's Our Sword!"

"Incredible!"

"I tell you he is no commoner!"

"Hooray!"

I tried not to let the cheers get to me and instead turned to see if Alejandro was able to stay on his feet or if he would need help. Rather than need help though, he was solidly on his feet and was glaring at me quite heatedly. In fact, he was glaring at me so hard it could have very well ignited my clothes if he were a Fire Mage instead of the Wind Mage that he was. The cheers certainly didn't seem to help his attitude any. Cutting off the glare abruptly, he turned and left the circle with the audience parting to let him past. When he was far enough away, the serving staff began to mob me with the head chef and Siesta leading them all.

I politely accepted the praise, but I glanced over at Alejandro again. I spied his red coat vanishing into the academy, likely to find something soothe his pride. Likely he was going to take some alcohol to do that. I knew that he was likely going to hate me forever now, but according to the laws there was nothing he could really do about it. We duelled fairly and I had come out on top. He didn't have to like it, but he could hardly complain about it. His fellow Germanians may raise a stink, but with so many witnesses, there was no way even the dirtiest cheaters could claim foul play.

Still…

…why did I feel like I was looking at the tip of the iceberg?

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, you want to her my logic on why Matt has to use one bath house instead of the other? It's because despite how fond of him some people are, in the grand social scheme, he's just a Familiar. You know how Louise would strip in front of Saito for bed without a care since as a Familiar she didn't consider him human or at least her servant so she didn't have to worry about showing him anything. It's the same logic the guards were working with. Matt is Louise's Familiar so she can just send him to the girls' bath to get clean rather than let him run wild nd disturb the boys' bath. I mean, the students with Familiars don't get to let them run wild all over the school however they want now do they?


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own Kamen Rider OOO or Familiar of Zero. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I am only writing this for fun so please don't try to sue me.

**Familiar of ZerOOO**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**CHAPTER 9: The Jilted, The Jealous, and The Blazing Combo**

It had been a long arduous battle. I had to battle through mobs, stalkers, and downright dirty, dirty tricksters. It took cunning, insights, and a lot of luck to get around them and get to safety. I had to be sneaky and pull some dirty tricks of my own just to get some space so I could make the plans and tricks that would get me away and to where I could call myself safe. I had achieved a level of stealth that I had never had thought possible for someone like me.

And that was just to get away from Siesta, Kirche, and Lady Zerbst.

Kirche's mother Emma Francesca Lillith von Zerbst had come to visit her daughter. Kirche had been telling tales about me apparently and the Lady Zerbst was curious about her daughter's 'Darling' and who he was. As part of a guard or something, she had brought a fellow named Alejandro Conquista la Corleone, a Viscount of Germania. Incidentally, he was a man whom Kirche's parents had considered for Kirche as husband material. He seemed to take some offence to how Kirche liked to molest me, no matter how much I didn't molest her back.

Okay, long story short some offense was taken, a challenge in the form og a duel was made, and some ass was kicked. Fortunately for me, the ass that was kicked wasn't mine. Unfortunately, the duel had been for Kirche so now the redhead would be stuck to me like glue. Her mother had publicly declared me her son-in-law, which Louise didn't like all that much. The only reason she didn't cause much fuss though on account that she was terrified of Lady Zerbst. Apparently her runic name of Emma the Searing Heat was one that Louise grew up with holding in same regard to the boogeyman. Why that was I still hadn't gotten a straight answer to.

I wonder if I could hide in Louise's room until this all blew over.

* * *

><p>"<em>Darling! Darling, where are you?" Kirche called out, on the hunt for her Darling.<em>

_He had been so dashing as he defeated Alejandro in a duel. She never really liked the Viscount all that much. He was way too stiff for her tastes and she liked boys who were closer to her age anyway. Well, she'd make an exception if they were handsome enough she supposed. However, her father seemed to like him since he was the new recruit into the Pegasus Guard who came from an established military family with a lot of prestige in their name. _

_Her family had taken to the idea after Kirche had caused some…problems, with her old school. It was an honest accident. Things just got a little out of control. Her parents were certainly not amused and considered having her married to alleviate some of the shame of nearly destroying her school. In the end though, they didn't want her to be uneducated since they had already set her on the path of learning magic so they decided to send her to the Tristain Academy._

_And now that she met her Darling, she knew it was the right choice._

_Now if she could only find him._

_Walking through the halls of the academy, she tried to find a trace of her Darling since he had run away as she and her mother tried to congratulate him for his victory. Honestly, he could be so shy! She had only wanted to reward him for fighting so valiantly for her sake. Oh, Louise deserved a little bit of credit too she supposed, but it was mainly her Darling who deserved all of the credit! She was just glad that her mother was fond of him as well._

_Now if she would remember that Kirche got to go first then there wouldn't be any problems._

* * *

><p>"What are you doing back here you stupid dog?-! I thought you'd want to be with your new Zerbst masters!"<p>

Okay, Louise was pissed. Big surprise. In my attempt to hide from the Zerbsts, I had decided to go to her room in hopes that she'd offer me some protection. Instead I found her at her table, one leg crossed over the other with her arms crossed and her wand in hand. She definitely did not look pleased to see me and was certainly just getting started on showing her displeasure in receiving affection from Kirche and her mother. Being publicly proclaimed the Lady Zerbst's son-in-law probably did not help matters.

"Louise, look…" I tried to explain. "This whole thing…I, well…I didn't intend for it to happen. Heck, I still don't want it to happen."

"Really?" she huffed disbelievingly. "I would have thought perverted dogs like you would have loved a situation like the one you're in!"

Okay, that was a harsh thing to say.

"Look, if I lost then it would have made us both look bad," I tried to defend myself. "I just thought that…okay…I wasn't doing much thinking."

"Obviously," Louise huffed.

"I just wanted to beat Alejandro and get him to leave me alone since he was so bent on getting Kirche to marry him and he thought I was in the way of that," I tried to defend myself. "I thought if I beat him, he'd leave me alone. That just…opened me up to Kirche."

Louse's growl made me know her opinion.

"So, could I hide out here? Please? I'll do anything!" I begged. I didn't want to turn into a boytoy for either Zerbst woman so if it meant grovelling at Louise's feet in order to get some of that protection then I was going to do that. Death by asphyxiation was definitely not the way I'd like to go, no matter how pleasant the scenery would be before I went.

"Anything?" asked Louise with a raised eyebrow.

"Anything!" I insisted.

The smile appearing on her lips made me regret the words as soon as I uttered them.

* * *

><p><em>Viscount Alejandro was pissed, which was pretty obvious to anyone who was unfortunate enough to cross his path. Not only was he defeated by some no-name but he also got humiliated in front of his fiancée and her mother. Where was he to show his face now? There had been so many witnesses to the duel to watch him lose so he couldn't even try to hide the event under the rug. By the next day, the nearby towns would no doubt hear about what had happened. He had thought that he could defeat Matthew and whatever artefacts he had. After all, they were just simple coins, hardly the most intimidating of items.<em>

_He had been proven wrong and suffered greatly. He put his hand against his chest which was still sore from the shock he'd received. He clenched his fist in rage. He cursed silently beneath his breath. Kirche was his, dammit! Nobody else! It had been agreed! _

_Obviously, Alejandro did not take losing quite well. He needed a new plan now, one to get him what he wanted. He had disgraced himself by losing to a teenage boy with a bunch of magical coins. Granted, if Lady Zerbt's theory was proven true then the shame he suffered in losing would be greatly diminished. Still, there was still shame associated with losing and Alejandro wouldn't have it! He would remove the shame from his name and prove he was worthy to be wed to the Zerbst heiress!_

* * *

><p>"Where did you get this collar?" I asked Louise. "It itches!"<p>

"Silence, dog!"

WHAP!

"Ow!"

I think she was having fun whipping my rear with that riding crop.

This may sting my pride but I had promised to do anything for Louise in exchange for some protection from the Zerbsts. Sooner or later, Kirche's mother would have to go home. Kirche, of course, was another issue. I didn't want to lose her friendship over something like this but her intentions for me were more than friendly.

Presently, I was being treated and disciplined like a disobedient dog. I had a collar that was connected to a length of chain with the other end gripped in Louise's hand and in her other hand was her riding crop. I had to kneel next to the table like an obedient dog while she sipped her tea and continued making notes on the Core Medals, possible combinations that might come in handy. Rather than diligence, I think she was just doing it for fun more than anything else.

At least she hadn't blown me up.

Even better, Louise looked happy. Now, what to do next?

"Partner, I don't get why you don't want the benefits," Derflinger spoke, wriggling himself out of his sheathe again. "I mean to be married into nobility is a huge deal." He then shut up when Louise glared at him. "Then again, I'm just a sword! No brain, remember! Ha ha ha."

If Derflinger didn't want to be melted down, he would need to keep his mouth shut.

"How about I explain that I'm your Familiar and that I can't marry Kirche?" I suggested.

Louise gave me a look and cocked an eyebrow. Right. That would just make them try harder. There really wasn't a way to make myself less desirable and even if there was it involved hurting their feelings. I really wasn't the kind of guy who would do that on purpose. Maybe if I was really cheesed off and someone was being a dick to me I could do it, but to someone who did absolutely nothing to deserve it? No way, it was impossible for me to do.

I bet Lady Zerbst was already making arrangements. She seemed like the type who would forge on ahead with their plans. Kirche was definitely a chip off the old block when it came to that…among other things. The girl was certainly not afraid to grab something she wanted, even if other people told her not to, many times, quite loudly. It was painfully obvious where Kirche got that particular personality quirk from. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on someone's point of view, that personality quirk was focused on me.

It wasn't that the thought of being with Kirche wasn't appealing. Hell, no straight man would think otherwise. However, she was incredibly forward and it was a little intimidating. I was also not too sure just what her intentions were. Well, her intentions were pretty clear. What I should say is I was worried about how committed she was. Her mother seemed all for a relationship, even marriage. Then again, she made it clear she was interested in playing with me too. That look in her eyes when I had her gripped in the Tako Legs said it all. Apparently she practiced an open marriage, and it was hard to say if her husband knew about it or not.

"While you did manage to save my reputation, you've now all but proclaimed intentions towards Kirche," Louise frowned. "Out of all of the girls in the entire school, why did you have to go and start getting closer to her?" She gave me that scary glare again. "Was it her boobs? I bet it was her boobs, wasn't it? Perverted dogs always follow the girls with the biggest chests. What does it matter if they have masters that they have a responsibility to? They have breasts to pay attention to, that's more important."

Her scolding had turned into an inner monologue that more or less defined her relationship with Kirche. Louise was definitely jealous of how Kirche seemed to have a more voluptuous figure and seemed to be using it to get attention from all of the boys in the school. She was even more pissed off by the fact that I noticed her and that she seemed to be interested in me. Worse yet, her childhood boogeyman seemed to support the relationship.

"In my defence, I didn't exactly pursue her," I offered. "She decided that on her own."

"You still encouraged her," she argued.

Not on purpose, not that it mattered away. Kirche now seemed bound and determined to get me and her mother seemed to be in the mood to help her. Boy did I ever step into it. It was literally the line between heaven and hell.

Now how do I get out of it?

* * *

><p>It wasn't until nightfall that Louise finally decided that I had taken enough punishment and I could remove the collar. I missed dinner so I had hoped that by heading to the kitchen there would be something left. So while Louise decided to amuse herself with her studies and Derflinger chatted with her, I began walking through the dorms to try and get to the kitchens for some grub. Maybe Siesta was still there and she'd be in the mood to help me find something. At the very least it would get me away from Louise and hopefully by now Kirche and her mother had gotten bored and were off doing some mother-daughter activity together. Preferably without me being the primary target.<p>

"Hi there!"

A shame some hopes go unrealized.

I only saw a flash of red and purple before I was yanked into one of the rooms. While I admit that I was surprised, at the same time I really wasn't. With the kind of luck I was having, seeing as my life as of late was beginning to match that of some kind of harem fantasy anime. I mean honestly, these kinds of things happened only to some hapless male hero who somehow, against all laws of probability, ended up surrounded by a bevy of pretty girls of various attitudes and body shapes. All of them which were either interested in him, hated him, or were completely indifferent with some guest characters thrown in there for good measure.

It was a path which I found eerily similar to my general situation.

"Oof!" I grunted as I hit the ground. The room was dark which kept me from seeing anything, but it didn't stop me from feeling something warm and moderately heavy begin sitting on my waist. After a moment of getting my sight adjusted to the darkness, I found everything bathed in moonlight. That was including the redhead sitting on my waist wearing only her purple negligee. "Eep!"

"Hello Darling," Kirche purred. "I've been looking for you."

"Uh…have you?" I sputtered, trying to play dumb. Not my coolest moment, but I was still a little freaked out with the sudden and likely most blatant seduction yet. It even topped that time Kirche had Flame drag me to her room so she could try to seduce me the slow and sultry way.

"Mmmhmm," Kirche nodded, that sexy smile still on her lips. "I've been wanting to reward you for being victorious today. Seeing you like that was…majestic."

"Um…you really don't have to," I argued weakly. Really, she didn't. "It's no big deal, really."

"Oh, but it is…" She traced a finger down my chest and I shuddered. God, why did she have to be so hot? OK, she was a Flame Mage but you know what I mean. Normally, this would be the happiest moment of my life. OK, one of them. Maybe one of the top 3. Still, even though I was in a position most guys would kill to have, her assertiveness and forwardness intimidated me a little. I liked her, as a friend, and maybe at some point down the road I might be inclined to court her…

Wait, where did that thought come from? Focus, Matthew!

"Kirche, could you please get off me?" I requested. "Please?" I added in a more pleading tone.

She apparently had the idea I was playing hard to get.

"Oh don't say that Darling," Kirche purred, leaning down on me with her breasts pressing up against my chest. "There's nothing to stop us from showing our love. Mother simply adores you and even approves of us. Didn't she already welcome you to the family when you defeated Alejandro? I'm sure we can even deal with Louise once she realizes that we're together. So don't trouble yourself with such concerns, just enjoy our union."

Well, that sort of dealt with some of the problems I had. Nothing quite killed a relationship like parents who didn't approve of you in the first place. I guess with that concern out of the way it would be so bad…wait! No! It wasn't passion or parents that I was mainly concerned about! It was commitment! Yeah! I was worried just how serious she was going to be once she got what she wanted, which mostly seemed like sex to me. I'd seen her boot five guys out of her room while she was trying to seduce me! Remember! Remember that time! If she wanted me, she'd have to prove she wanted a true relationship! Yeah!

I was going to voice that concern…

"Kirche, have you found him yet?"

"Yes, Mother!" Kirche replied, looking to the door.

The door to the room opened and in walked Lady Zerbst, but she wasn't wearing the slinky dress I was used to seeing her in. Rather, she was dressed in a set of negligee which was eerily similar to the kind Kirche was wearing save it was black where Kirche's was purple. Was she walking in the halls wearing that? I mean, she filled it out beautifully and every step made her breasts jiggle slightly. It seemed that Zerbst women preferred the same seamstress for their clothing. It also seemed that they didn't believe in bras either.

"Ah, I was hoping you'd catch him," Lady Zerbst smiled as she shut the door behind her. "Well, don't let me stop you. I would love to see my daughter consummate her relationship with her Darling."

Kirche's smile turned downright saucy, "Oh, we'll 'consummate' our relationship." The saucy grin was mirrored by the elder woman.

You know, it was then that I discovered that it was indeed possibly to have a sudden nosebleed caused by a hormonal overload brought on my excessively sexy women. I had only ever seen it happen in anime and considered it to just be a comic gag, but having it happen to me was something else. Maybe it had something to do with the air quality here? I didn't get to examine the sensation for very long before I had blacked out, losing consciousness.

'_You pussy,_' a voice in my head growled as I passed out.

* * *

><p><em>Alejandro grumbled to himself as he wetted his whistle at one of the local pubs. He was still as sour as ever over his loss and no matter how much ale he drank it never seemed to get any easier to deal with. He was still shamed, still humiliated, and still angry over it all. At the very least everyone else in the tavern had the sense to leave him alone. If anyone had tried to talk to him, he likely wouldn't have been patient with them for very long and tried to hurt them.<em>

"_Hello friend."_

_But the night was still young._

_Looking up, Alejandro saw a man sitting next to him on a bar stool. He was dressed in a black cloak which hid his face and body completely. The only real features the shamed Viscount could see was a domino mask with white eyes that protected the man's identity while allowing him to see. All in all, someone suspicious to be sure but at the moment, Alejandro just didn't care._

"_A friend? You?" he snorted._

"_I will be in a moment," the cloaked man replied. "I heard rumours pertaining to a duel concerning a Familiar and Viscount Alejandro the Crimson Wind. They say it was for the hand of Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst."_

"_Nn," Alejandro grumbled._

"_I also heard that you lost."_

"_Watch your tongue," Alejandro snarled, glaring at the man. "Lest you wish to lose it."_

"_Peace. I meant no offence," the cloaked man amended. "In fact, I wish to offer my assistance in reclaiming your lost pride and dignity."_

"_Oh?" the Viscount frowned, coming out of his rage to listen to the offer. "And what would be in it for you?"_

"_Knowledge," the cloaked man replied. "Both on the defences and layout of the academy as well as knowledge on that strange warrior that defeated you."_

_Alejandro's scowl didn't lessen as he pondered what the man wanted in return. If he wanted to know about the defences and the layout of the school, he was probably holding intentions to invade it for the sake of holding someone ransom. It wasn't such an original plot, the Viscount having stopped one or two similar plots back in Germania. As a Viscount, he really should have wanted to turn this man in to the proper authorities. However, he was pissed off and he was in Tristain anyway. Its history with Germaina was a little rough despite how their King was being said to being betrothed to the Tristain Princess. What did he care if Tristain had some internal problems?_

"_I'm listening."_

* * *

><p>I awoke to the sensation of warmth and softness on either side of my body. Everything was dark and I couldn't see very well at first. Soon enough though, I was able to get my eyes adjusted to the dimness of the area so I would be able to see.<p>

And what I saw could only be described as heavenly.

On either side of me, in the centre of a bed were Kirche and Lady Zerbst. Both were in their negligee outfits and pressed up against me. I myself was donned only in my pants and bare-chested, feeling the lace of their outfits and warmth of their bodies pressed up against me. My face felt a little stiff, like that sensation you get when you dry off naturally after having gone swimming. At least my nose wasn't bleeding anymore. I guess Kirche cleaned it up.

Still, I had to wonder how I got into my current situation. Kirche and her mother both in bed with me? Was I dreaming or something? I had to be, no matter how hot a mother and daughter pair were they just wouldn't share a bed together, would they? Granted, the school didn't seem to have any guest quarters as far as I knew and my impression of the Zerbst women this far told me that they didn't exactly take much stock in what other people would call proper. Affection, love, and passion were something to be embraced to them. Knowing that, the two sharing a bed if they needed to do such didn't seem so odd when I thought about it. Having me passing out in Kirche's room would have guaranteed adding me into the mix.

As nice as this situation was though, I needed to somehow get out of it. Louise's wrath was immense as was her creativity and sadistic tendencies. I would be suffering both if or when she caught me in such a situation with her greatest rival as well as her childhood boogeyman. I still had welts from when she struck me with that riding crop. I was really going to have to ask her where she got it from. I just hoped that Louise didn't have a secret fetish for S&M.

But then I imagined her wearing a skimpy bikini in of leather with matching fishnets I couldn't help but find the image erotic. Then it started to develop and…

…OK, my imagination wasn't helping matters. I blamed my current situation for that. It was only going to make things harder for me and speaking of hard…well, you catch my drift. I'd have to have problems to not react *that* way to where I was. I reluctantly started to sit up, my hands finding leverage and pressing down on something soft.

Kirche moaned.

Did I just cop a feel?

Then her mother moaned.

My other hand, did it just…wow, these were real soft and…FOCUS! FOCUS! Gotta get out of here with some of my dignity intact, as well as the rest of my clothes! To be honest, I was surprised that they hadn't stripped me naked and had their way with me but then that would be rape and I think they would want me to actively participate in the debauchery.

My word for the day: debauchery.

And a part of me had doubts that I would resist or decline. I mean I would have to be crazy to pass up on such a chance, right? Lady Zerbst was a genuine MILF and her daughter would definitely make the front page of any magazine with her looks and body of a supermodel. Heck, fanboys would be lining up just to touch her hand. Well, considering the line up she had the last time I was in her room, I think she already had the fanboy angle covered.

Guess some things were just universal. Slowly, I crawled out of the bed, making sure I didn't wake them up. I then picked up my clothes which were lying on the floor before slowly sneaking out the door. That voice in my head from before I passed out was yelling at me to not be such a pansy and go take advantage of the situation like a true man would. It made me feel like I was winning in terms of a moral victory, but I was losing in life at the same time. I guess that's what a hollow victory felt like.

Gently shutting the door behind me, I heaved a sigh of relief/regret as I managed to escape. Ignoring the sinking in my gut, I pulled my clothes back on and decided to forget any kitchen assistance since it was probably too late for any staff to be awake. I suppose I'd have to go to bed hungry again and hope that Louise wasn't too upset about me being out for too long. She'd probably suspect that I was hanging out with Kirche, which in this case, wasn't going to be an incorrect guess. I could already see her going to a fit and attacking me with that riding crop of hers again.

Some days it didn't seem to pay to leave your room.

Walking down the halls, I headed back towards Louise's room with thoughts of riding crop attacks circling my head. Turning a corner, I continued travelling but found my path impeded by something I didn't expect. In front of me were a small band of men who were dressed like armour-less solders, all of them holding spears and/or swords. They looked grizzled and/or scarred, definitely not like the normal guards that the Academy employed to protect it.

"Hey, who are you guys?" I asked, growing suspicious.

The leader's response didn't thrill me, "Kill him! Hurry!"

The men charged at me with their weapons raised. I knew that they were likely after someone in the dorms so if I tried to run then they were going to have their opportunity to get whoever it was they were after. With no way I could run, I decided to go for the reckless/stupid course of action.

I charged at them.

I think I just made a personal record for ending up in these situations.

* * *

><p><em>Louise stomped down the corridor, a riding crop and wand in hand as she went in search of her Familiar. The moment she took her eyes off him he just runs off and hadn't been back for a little over an hour. "He's probably with the Zerbsts," she muttered to herself, wearing a scowl and red in the face with anger. She was going to properly discipline him for his actions. It would be well-deserved. He needed to be punished for going behind his Master's back. He needed to know his place.<em>

_However, after several minutes, Louise began to calm down. In hindsight she might've been the cause of this. She had summoned him and bound him against his will and even if there were disagreements and some ups and downs, Matthew had been trying to make the best of this situation. It made sense that he'd want to be close to somebody around him who would be nice to him and she really didn't have much of a reason to stop him. Not after what he had been doing for her. He had helped her, even impressing the judges during the Familiar Exhibition. Also, she had summoned him, proving she was not a useless mage._

_However, there were still those who considered it merely a fluke. And there were others who accused her of hiring the services of a nameless noble to act as her Familiar. Matthew had displayed the use of magical artefacts said to be 800 years old, wielding their magic with ease. He had even said that the artefacts had been made with specific conditions and that they could only be used by him. Lady Zerbst, Kirche's mother, had even assumed that he was probably the descendant of one of the king's bastard children, one he'd sired with one of his mistresses or concubines. As much as she didn't want to agree with a Zerbst on anything, she had to admit that the theory seemed quite plausible. Kings could be a little overindulgent, even if nobody would dare speak about it in public. If a man was given immense wealth and power, he could have anything he wanted, even a harem of the finest beauties to sate his lusts upon. Who knew how many of the king's descendants still wandered about after his self-inflicted downfall?_

_To achieve godhood was blasphemy and her Familiar was using the same power which led to the king's end. He had told her the Cell Medals and Core Medals were made from desire, they were desire in their purest form. It was the same as magic, really. Willpower and the desire to make it happen were key components of casting a spell. She had wanted, desired, for a strong Familiar and ended up with Matthew who wielded the power of desire._

_Louise shook her head. She had to focus on her mission. Gripping her riding crop and wand, she was deliberating whether she would blow him up, or whip him, or blow him up AND whip him._

_Meanwhile, Louise's room was paying host to a visitor. The window silently creaked open and a cloaked figure bathed in shadow slipped through, using a levitation spell to reach the window and silently stepped inn. They were looking around the room and their eyes spotted the pots filled with Cell Medals. Going over to them, they sank their hands into the piles of silver coins and smiled in the darkness. "So, these are the rumoured Cell Medals, manifestations of desire. Interesting…"_

* * *

><p>'<em>Does this sort of thing only happen to me?<em>'

"RAH!"

I twisted around a spear thrust from the first grunt that was attacking me. It was a close thing though and I could almost feel the breeze of the air displaced by the weapon. Out of sheer survival instinct and a desire not to be stabbed, I grabbed the weapon and pulled. My plan was to try and tug it out of the hands of the guy that was attacking me and hopefully have a means to defend myself. So, once I got my hands on the wooden shaft of the spear, I made sure not to let go.

Then the runes on my hand began to glow…

Suddenly, I knew exactly how to use the spear as my weapon perfectly.

A sharp tug got the soldier off balance before I kicked him in the face. The man cried out in pain and let go of his spear, letting me take it into my hands for myself. I was in a confined space but that was okay, I knew some moves which would let me take these clowns down if they tried anything funny.

Okay, how did I know this in the first place?

I didn't have much time to contemplate the notion before more of the soldiers began to attack me. I twisted my spear and slammed the blunt end into one man's but striking him directly in the kidneys. By no means was it a lethal blow but no one was capable of shrugging off a blow like that. I was proven right as the man groaned loudly and stumbled back, clutching where I had struck him. I didn't have time to note the victory as the other two goons came charging at me. The first tried to slash me with his sword, but I deflected it with the metal tip of my spear before twisting the blade away and smashing the wooden end into the soldiers face. He cried out in pain before I kicked him in the face, knocking him backwards into his unarmed friend, making them both tumble to the ground. Trained soldiers these guys weren't. They were likely cheap mercenaries with basic abilities meant to be used in large groups. Who hired them to come here though?

Either way, it made me determined to keep the Derflinger, O-Driver, and some of my Core Medals on me at all times from now on.

* * *

><p><em>Alejandro winced as he heard the crashing noises from down the hall. He had ordered the mercenaries to sneak through the front door of the dormitories as a distraction from any guards that may have been there. The soldiers were cheap, but they had battle experience which was likely more than what most of the guards in the castle had. It shouldn't have been difficult for them to get to where they needed to go. Instead, it seemed that they had found some unexpected resistance.<em>

_It made Alejandro glad he decided to take the stealthy route._

_Using his magic, he levitated up to where his fiancée's room was. As expected, she was there and sleeping peacefully thus far. However, he mother was right next to her, making what he was about to do next that much more difficult. Still, he had no choice if he wanted to begin his plan. Casting a smaller levitation spell around his boots, he steeped into the room and towards the bed. Lady Zerbst was sleeping against the wall thankfully, which left Kirche open for him._

_He slowly removed a long strip of cloth from his jacket and proceeded to tie Kirche's hands together gently as not to disturb her. Once they were secured, he reached down so to pick her up. Soon he would be out of here and be able to proceed with the next phase of his plan…_

"_And what pray tell are you doing with my daughter?"_

_Lady Zerbst's eyes were open and glaring darkly at Alejandro, making him feel thankful that he was in disguise._

_It didn't remove from the fact that he was in deep trouble though._

* * *

><p><em>Louise heard a ruckus and rushed to the scene. Coming onto the area proper, she gasped at seeing three men who were obvious bandits of some sort facing off against her Familiar. He was holding a spear, apparently stolen from one of the three and was fighting them with it. He was holding them off well enough, which was something of a relief to her. However, Louise knew that a master who neglected her Familiar was no master at all. Retrieving her wand from her pocket, she raised it and called out to warn her Familiar of her intentions.<em>

* * *

><p>"MATTHEW!"<p>

When I heard Louise call my name, I was surrounded by these unknown soldiers who were trying to kill me. They also heard her and turned their attention towards her momentarily.

"Louise, RUN!" I shouted to her. Of all the times she was going to get involved in something, it had to be now when I was in the middle of fighting some mercenaries who were likely not all that worried about having to kill me. I honestly doubted killing one teenage girl would have been that much of a problem for them.

"No!" she protested, stubbornly. She pointed her wand at the mercenaries.

Uh-Oh.

As she began to chant a spell, I hit the dirt as the tip of the wand glowed.

-BOOM!-

A hole was blown open in the wall as the soldiers were knocked down by the explosion. I was unharmed, save for a bit of rubble raining down on her. No doubt, what served as campus security, the teaching staff and the student body would have heard the explosion and become alarmed by it.

"Louise..." I spoke up as I slowly rose to my feet. My ears rang from my close proximity to the explosion. Still, as the smoke cleared I could see that the soldiers were half-buried in rubble and the night sky was visible through the hole that Louise had created. It certainly took them out for the count. "Thanks."

"Doing my part," Louise nodded. It seemed for once that her explosions came in handy rather than being an unwanted conclusion. Personally, I was glad for those little screw ups as well. Now, just to try and figure out where these guys…

-BOOM!-

"Louise!" It was sheer reflex. Honest.

"It wasn't me!" the pinkette snapped back.

I would have explained myself, but that was quickly interrupted by a cloud of steam passing into the halls. I first mistook it as mist, but the heat told me otherwise. Louise and I looked at each other in confusion before down the hall where the steam had come from. Now I knew that something bad was up. Gripping the spear, I headed in the direction that the steam was coming from, making sure that the pointy end was forward in case things got ugly.

Turning the corner again, we saw that the steam was coming from Kirche's room and that the door had been blown off of its hinges. Now doubly concerned since someone I knew was apparently in trouble, I dashed over to the door to see what was going on.

"GET BACK HERE WITH MY DAUGHTER!"

Coming to the entrance of the room and looking inside made me blanch and Louise whimper. Lady Zerbst was in her sleepwear still, but condensation was making it stick to her body. What caught my attention though was the wall blown open with steam wafting off the brickwork, the same kind of steam that was falling from her clenched fists. In the distance, it looked like a winged horse was flying away with two people on its back, one was riding properly while the other was slung over like cargo. Suddenly it seemed obvious both as to Lady Zerbst's anger and why she was called Emma the Searing Heat.

"What happened?" I asked Lady Zerbst.

"It was Alejandro!" she shouted, turning to me with eyes that looked like a blazing inferno of fury, "He took my daughter! The bastard thought he could disguise himself, but I recognized him in a heartbeat!"

Crap, I knew that Alejandro didn't take losing so well, but to resort to kidnapping? Seriously, were nobles really so messed up that they allowed their pride to make them go insane? I didn't quite understand how kidnapping Kirche was supposed to help him, but anger made people do weird things. For his own sake, I hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid with her lest I bring down the wrath of god on him for it. Still, I couldn't do that unless I had the right equipment. With that in mind, I turned to look at my pinkette friend.

"Louise, do you have my Core Medals?" I asked Louise, "And my belt?"

"They're back in my room," she told me. "Why do you need them?"

"I'm going to go rescue Kirche," I told her firmly.

Louise would've protested, normally, since she wasn't too fond of Kirche. The redhead had been the one to start calling her 'Zero' but then she realised that it wasn't a good reason to allow Kirche to be taken. As much as a pain in the ass the redhead had been to her, no one deserved to be kidnapped like she had been. Her morals conflicted with her personal feelings for a brief second as she considered the proposition. Of course I knew she would hesitate so I leaned in and whispered, "She'd owe you."

That was enough to get Louise going as she ran to her room to gather the Core Medals and O-Driver. I stood with Lady Zerbst to console her. She had just watched as her own daughter was kidnapped. I could understand why she was so upset. Since she was using steam, I assumed that Lady Zerbst was able to combine elements to create it, likely water and fire if I thought about it. From what I learned, neither was good at speed or flight like Alejandro and his steed would be. That left the fuming woman behind as she could only watch her daughter be taken further away.

"I'll rescue her," I swore.

Lady Zerbst regarded me, the fury still in her eyes but thankfully not directed at me, "Only if I do not rescue her first."

I would have spoken more, but Louise chose that moment to enter thee room again. You know, for such a short girl she could really move fast when she wanted to. Her arms were curled around my O-Driver and the Medal Book. She wordlessly presented the items to me, not needing to tell me anything. I quickly snatched up my O-Driver and attached it to my waist. Next I took the Medal Book and popped out three red Core Medals. They felt hot in my hand, like they were reacting to the growing fury I was feeling now that the situation was truly sinking in for me. That was fine. It may even let them work better for me. I was in no mood to 'test out the waters' in a situation like this. Alejandro was going to go down HARD!

Sliding the Core Medals one by one into their respective slots, I tilted it into its diagonal position. They began to shine red in the light, bringing both Lady Zerbst and Louise's eyes to them, neither having seen my moments for a Full Combo up close before. I ignored them in favour of taking the O-Scanner and bringing it to the Driver. "Henshin!" I called as I swiped the O-Scanner across the red Core Medals in order to activate them.

"**TAKA!**"

"**KUJAKU!**"

"**CONDOL!**"

"**TA~JA~DOL!**"

Louise had to step back as a blazing aura burst from my body as my armour formed on my body and once it had completely formed, she took stock of my appearance.

The Taka Head helmet had turned into the Taka Head Brave with a more detailed design on the helmet to resemble a bird's head with the yellow beak being a gemstone. The wing-like attachments to my helmet had become bigger and the eyes had turned red. The Kujaku Arms were still the same and equipped to my legs were the Condol Leg armour. The sides of my thighs were decorated with crimson fabric which held the image of feathers when looked upon. The shin armour spread out just below my knees in more wing-like decoration. My feet though had a single yellow blade rising from the red armour over my feet with two similar blades coming from either side of my ankles. The O-Lung Circle crest was surrounded by a golden ring which sported a red emblem that resembled a phoenix by combining the images on the red Core Medals.

Lady Zerbst stared at me, agape as did Louise. I could feel the energy running through my veins, like liquid fire. I felt energized, powerful, nigh unbeatable! "Here…we…go!" I called out as I crossed my wrists in front of me and spread my arms to the side. Red, bird-like wings spread out from my back as I took off into the air.

* * *

><p>"<em>Let me go! Let me go you brute!" Kirche snapped, struggling with her bonds as she rode like a satchel pack on the back of Alejandro's Pegasus. "Alejandro!"<em>

"_Quiet!" the now quite obviously dishonoured Viscount snapped. He knew the jig was up after Lady Zerbst recognized him when he opened his mouth. "Don't make this more difficult than it is! I'm taking us back to Germania and I don't need you trying to give us away even more!"_

"_What? Germaina?" Kirche blinked. "Why?"_

"_To be wed of course!" he called back. "Your parents selected me to be your husband and I plan to ensure that happens! I will not have some foreign curs make me look like a fool and try to deny me my right!"_

"_What?" Kirche blinked. There had to be something wrong with this man! Did he honestly think that she'd sit idly by and let them get married in some chapel after a stunt like this? He'd be a wanted man in all of the countries in Helkenginia when her mother got word back to her father about what happened! Obviously his defeat at the hands of her Darling must have addled his thoughts more than anyone could have guessed. He was actually willing to go this far in order to heal his pride?_

_Looking about, Kirche tried to see if there was anything she could do to get herself out of this mess. Flame was off in one of his favourite sleeping spots, likely someplace near open flame since Salamanders liked hot places. Her wand was back in her room as well. Her mother had no aptitude in wind magic and thus couldn't follow and it would likely be some time before the guards could try and get themselves together to try and follow them. The only one she could think of who could immediately help was her Darling and he was…_

…_coming up quickly in his red armour!_

"_DARLING! HELP ME!"_

* * *

><p>I managed to catch up with the fool and the girl very quickly. As if some flying horse would be able to outmanoeuvre someone like me who has the power of all birds on his side! Honestly, what did a horse know about flying anyway? I was sorely tempted to shoot the blasted thing out of the sky with my Peacock Missiles, but that would put the girl in danger. Frankly I was finding myself fond of the girl. She was one of the most honest people I had met since coming to this world of spoiled brats and she was certainly dedicated in getting what she wanted, even if it was me. It was why gave her a token of my favour in the form of the red feather she was so fond of carry around. It was good to know she could properly appreciate a gift.<p>

But I digress; this wasn't the time to reflect. Now it was time to kick some ass and work off some of the aggression I was feeling.

"DARLING! HELP ME!

What did she think I was trying to do?

* * *

><p>"<em>WHAT!-?" Alejandro whirled his head around to see the flying red figure in pursuit of him. His face twisted in fury as he saw OOO. He would recognise that armour anywhere even if it changed appearance. Who else had such a suit at his disposal but the cur who had taken what was rightfully his!<em>

_Grabbing his sword wand, he twisted on his mount slightly and lashed out with his wind spells. He wasn't going for the weaker tornadoes that were made to knock people away, he was attacking with bone-crunching blasts of wind that would definitely knock the armoured nuisance right out of the sky!_

"_Take this!" Alejandro bellowed._

* * *

><p>"Woah! Dammit!"<p>

I cursed as I dodged blasts of wind that shot out like bullets at me. They were about the size of my torso and no doubt would have been extremely painful if they were able to hit me. His aim was terrible though. Obviously he wanted me to back off while he fled to wherever it is he wanted to go. It seemed that the fool was even more stupid than I thought. Did he actually think that if he got to wherever it is he was heading he would be safe? Apparently the idiot had just as much common sense as all of the other spoiled brats I had come across in this world. At least the brats were teenagers and had an excuse for being stupid. Alejandro on the other hand was a full grown man and still seemed to think everything should roll his way. Again, what a fool.

"Hyah!" I cried, shooting fireballs from my Taja Spinner at the oncoming spheres of air. Fire and air of course didn't mix when they were opposing forces so small explosions rang out at each impact.

Still, Alejandro didn't look pleased that I was managing to get around his first assault. His gaze kept snapping between what was ahead of him and back at me. I was steadily getting closer as he had fired at me and I was beginning to see the rage on his face. I couldn't be sure from the distance, but it seemed he was slightly deranged if the gritting teeth and wild eyes were any indication. Gripping his weapon, he lashed out again this time sending another one of his tornadoes at me. I swerved around it, but it allowed him to put some distance between us.

Dammit this was getting annoying!

I couldn't shoot at him directly, not with the girl at risk. Still, there had to be a way to slow them down! I mean, the idiot was riding a goddamn horse! He…wait…of course! He wasn't driving a plane or something, but was riding a horse, a creature with survival instincts of its own. If something bad started happening to it, it would try to survive to hell with whatever was on its back telling it otherwise. If I spook it, that ought to slow Alejandro down enough for me to catch him!

Raising my Taja Spinner again, I adjusted the aim before I shot more fireballs. This time the blasts flew in front of his flying horse, flashing by quite closely. The horse reacted as expected and let out a neigh before flapping its wings to try and get out of the path of the fireballs. The fool had to stop shooting at me to try and get control of his steed again. It served to slow the blasted thing down enough that I was rapidly catching up with it.

About damn time.

Seeing as he wasn't losing me, Alejandro must have gotten fed up and decided to stop running away from me like a coward. He turned his flying steed around and faced me as I flew in closer. Now I could tell he was pissed since his teeth were clenched and with my Taka Head, I could even see that his pupils were narrowed. He was beginning to get desperate and it was showing. Hmph! More fool on him then. Desperate people begin making a mountain of mistakes. Of course, he had already made several, the first being kidnapping one of MY friends.

"So it seems you don't have the sense to quit!" Alejandro snarled at me. If it was supposed to scare me, it failed miserably.

"Why quit when against someone like you?" I snorted, coming to a stop and simply hovered in the air once I was close enough. "I am many things, but lazy is not one of them."

"Do you really think you can win against me now? My defeat before was because I underestimated you. Now, I have the good sense to fight you with all my power."

"Keep telling yourself that," I responded. If it was a fight he wanted, that was what he would get. Still, there was still the girl to worry about. She could get hurt in this fight. I needed her to someplace safe, away from us, so she wouldn't get caught in the crossfire. The trick would be getting her away from the fool before I could go all out and put him down. Still, I might get the opportunity to end this fast since he was sitting up and the girl was lying across the horse's back.

"Enough of your tongue!" the fool bellowed, raising his weapon again. This time, I could see air whipping around the tip of his weapon, likely charging up for another spell. I wasn't disappointed as what I could only call a lance of spiralling air was sent at me, only the sheer amount allowing it to be visible to me. Flapping my wings, I dove out of the way, only feeling the displacement of the air rather than the attack itself. I had dived slightly lower so to get out of the way, but it gave me an angle to attack from without risking the girl. Aiming my Spinner, I launched another fireball which would land on his fat head and hopefully knock him off his flying horse.

Unfortunately, as much as a fool Alejandro was in life, he apparently wasn't as much of a fool when it came to battle. His reflexes and riding skills served him well, getting him to swerve out of the way of the attack. He retaliated with another lance of wind. I managed to dip around, but I felt something scrape over my shoulder meaning that it had just grazed me. His aim was getting better. He was really starting to piss me off. Fine! If I can't be civilized about it, then I may as well do it the old fashioned way!

I dove down to leave the fool's range of sight before I flapped my wings and began flying straight up again. I was directly underneath the horse so he couldn't see me. Clenching my fists, I shot up like a bullet. Either he was waiting for to pop out elsewhere, or he never seemed to expect me to show up from under his steed. Wind whipped across my faceplate as I dove up. I adjusted the flight path slightly so that I could see the fool properly once again. His eyes were darting around and finally spotted me coming up. He tugged the reins of his winged horse, but he never managed to move in time as I reached him and threw my fist up for an uppercut…

*KRACK!*

The fool's head rocked back from the impact and I'm pretty sure I felt something break when I did it. I didn't really care though, but it was immensely satisfying if I have to admit. Still, the impact distracted him as his senses were dazed and he wasn't doing anything. I quickly killed my speed and dove back down for the horse again, this time it wasn't to pound on the fool's face no matter how much I wanted to. Instead, I grabbed the girl and pulled her into my arms in a bridal carry before flapping away from the horse and stunned rider.

"Darling!" the girl beamed at me.

The fool seemed to have been fighting for consciousness, but seemed to have lost the battle. His body went limp as he dropped from the back of his steed. As much as I didn't want to, I began to angle my wings so I could go save him.

But then someone beat me to it.

I don't know who he was, but all I knew was that he came out of the forest on the back of a griffon. He was wrapped in a black cloak and was hiding his face, making it impossible for even my Taka Head Brave to see just who he was. He and his steed dove towards the falling Alejandro and managed to catch him quite expertly, meaning he had experience in mid-air movement. Holding the unconscious Viscount in a sitting position, the man looked over at the girl and I.

"You don't disappoint, Gandalfr," he spoke. "Your record has been rightfully earned."

"Cut the fake flattery!" I snapped. "Just who are you?"

"Oh, just a benefactor of this man's ambitions, as small as they were," the cloaked man replied. "I honestly didn't expect him to succeed, but he did manage to help me accomplish my goal."

"Your goal?" I frowned. I did not like the sound of that.

"Retrieval of certain objects," the man answered. Reaching into his cloak, he produced much to my shock, a Cell Medal! "I'm sure they will assist in our endeavours."

"Bastard!" I snarled. Those were mine! I took beatings and worked my ass off to get those. Oh if I didn't have the girl in my hands I would have charged that bastard and taken back what was mine!

"Such language," the man snickered, obviously amused at my anger. "I've heard much about these simple little coins. So much so, I think I'll test one." Taking the Cell Medal in his hand, he brought it to the unconscious Alejandro's head. To my horror, a Medal Insertion Slot appeared in his forehead. The cloaked stranger didn't hesitate as he dropped the Medal and let it vanish into the man's head.

"NO!"

Alejandro reacted instantly, regaining his wakeful mind. However, his eyes flashed yellow as he sat up with a snarl. It was an instant clue as to what kind of Yummy was being produced from his desire. A cat-type Yummy was a kaijin whose main trait would be to take control and eventually swallow their hosts into themselves. Now it seemed that the fool would be the latest in a long line of Yummy victims.

My moan of, "Oh fuck," summed it up quite nicely.

The possessed Alejandro was up and alert before he bellowed loudly as if he were an animal, the sound reminding me of an enraged jungle cat. The stranger let him go before Alejandro took a leap from the back of the gryphon, easily surpassing what a human was capable of, and managed to land on the back of his flying horse which had been hovering nearby. He quickly took his mount and raised his sword arm up. However, Cell Medals spilled out of his clothes and formed into an orange and black striped furry arm with what looked like a broadsword clenched in its fist.

I reiterate, "Oh fuck!"

"Darling, what's going on?" asked the girl, seeing that something very wrong had happened.

"The fool's been possessed by a cat-type Yummy," I growled. "It's going to drive him to take what he desires and right now he desires you!"

"Oh,"

"Oh is right," I frowned. "Now hold on tight. It's going to get hot out here."

The fool bellowed and urged his steed to fly towards us while he was waving his new sword like some kind of maniac. I glared at the cloaked man on his gryphon before I dove towards the ground. I had to get the girl out of my arms before I could really cut lose and try to get the damn Yummy out of the fool.

"HAND HER OVER!" the possessed fool bellowed, slashing his sword at me. Rather than lances, actual blades of wind came screeching towards us at a rapid pace, tainted yellow by the Yummy's power. I cursed under my breath as I dipped and curved away from the attacks, trying to keep in mind that I had someone in my arms. I couldn't even use the Taja Spinner since my hands were full! God dammit did this kind bad luck just happen to me?

My aerial stunts weren't doing me any favours, actually giving the fool a chance to catch up to me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw that he had caught up with the two of us. His next move shocked even me. He actually dismounted the flying horse and jumped at me!

"Wha-!"

"RAAAH!"

"Darling!"

The fool landed on my back, causing me to begin dropping like a stone! I tried to dislodge him, but he was gripping my wings and keeping me from trying to get some altitude. I didn't have much time with the ground coming at me at a rapid pace. So I twisted my body slightly and made sure the girl was shielded as best as I could. I could have cared less about what happened to the fool. As it was, I knew that this was going to hurt no matter what I did. "Brace yourself!"

*WHAM*

All three of us quickly hit the dirt skidding across the grassy plain and leaving a dirt trench in the process. The fool fell off on impact, landing somewhere else. I tried to keep the girl from taking the impact as much as I could, damn my bleeding heart for that. When we came to a halt, my entire right side was numb from the skidding and if it weren't for the armour, I was pretty sure that I would have broken something. The girl was coughing, getting the dirt out of her lungs but aside from some tears in her lingerie and some dirt and scratches on her skin, she seemed fine. Well, it was a little difficult to tell with my swimming vision but I was sure she was fine.

"Hey," I groaned, trying to pull myself up from the rut I made. "You alive?"

"Ouch," the girl moaned, shifting in my arms. She looked to me, "I'm alright Darling. Are you?"

"Peachy," I grumbled.

I pulled myself out of the dirt and got to my feet. I put the girl on hers so at least my arms were free again. Shaking my head, I looked around to see if there was any sign of the possessed fool out there. He was likely still in his White Yummy stage, but if he got his hands on the girl then that would change very fast.

"Do you know which way to the school?" I asked.

"I-I think so," the girl winced, touching a scrape on her arm.

"Good," I nodded. "We need to keep you away from the fool and the Yummy that's controlling him. If it gets its hands on you then it's going to get even stronger and right now we can't afford that." I began scanning the forests, looking for any sign of the possessed fool. Maybe if we were lucky the fall killed his host and we wouldn't have to deal with the Yummy after all. It was a nice thought, but knowing my luck it would never happen. It would be best to just get the girl away and behind some solid walls before I took the thing down. "Now let's go."

As I began to guide the girl away, I began to hear the wind blowing…

….then a whistle…

*SHING!*

*BOOM!*

"GYAAAH!"

I was struck in the back by what felt like a cleaver knife! Hot pain shot through me like race car drivers on speed and I crumpled to the ground, my vision blurry again as I struggled to breathe properly. The girl was screaming something as she kneeled down at my side. My limbs shook and I felt like I was going to puke from the sudden strike to a rather unprotected portion of my body. I struggled to keep my breath steady for no real reason beyond to avoid such a messy outcome. Do you have any idea what throwing up in a helmet would be like? I didn't, and I sure wasn't going to try and find out!

"Darling! Darling, speak to me!" the girl cried, my hearing coming back to me.

I didn't try to answer yet, but even if I did I wouldn't have had a chance to do so. The fool came charging out of the darkness and scooped the girl up into his arms. She kicked, screamed, and struck him in ever manor she could. I mean, she really let him have it as best she could in her position. She had gotten a good strike on his nose, leaving a trail of blood running down his face. He didn't seem like he was noticing it though, he was too busy hugging the girl for all he was worth, making her struggle to breathe in turn. I could practically hear the Cell Medals piling up in his body from the contact.

Oh I was so pissed right now!

Punching the dirt, I struggled to my feet. There was no way I was going to let some complete idiot possessed by a mangy cat look down on me! It wanted to fight dirty? Well, I would show it the definition of fighting dirty! Raising my Taja Spinner, I shot another fireball. Since the girl was struggling, the fool couldn't keep a good grip on her and so had to keep twisting and pulling to keep touching her. It left his side wide open, which I took advantage of and landed a perfect shot on it.

"RAAAAH!" the fellow bellowed in pain as the flaming sphere struck him. He dropped the girl and stumbled away, cutting off the production of Cell Medals. His clothes were singed and I could see through to the red skin underneath. The fool would be hurting by morning, but I had long since stopped caring about his well-being and that was before he got taken over by a Yummy.

Panting, the fool turned to glare at me, his eyes shining bright yellow in the night. Gripping his broadsword in his hand, a yellow pulse of energy began to surge through him as he unleashed a hateful roar at me. This time, Cell Medals dropped out of his skin and engulfed him completely. The Medals then all merged together to form the body of the Yummy that was controlling him. It was a muscled Yummy, covered from head to toe in orange fur with black stripes. Black leather encircled its waist in a belt with a disk in the centre. More discs dotted its bare chest, proving the common theme between all Yummies. Tarnished silver armour covered its shoulders and upper arms like one of those romantic knights. The hands were like the fool's was before the change, one gripping the same broadsword from before. Its legs were covered in more tarnished silver armour, but it looked more ornamental than practical. The feet were feline-like, orange with black stripes. Its face was human-like, but was orange like its fur with a tiger-head helmet covering the majority of the cranium with two lengths of orange and black framing either side of the face.

"A Tiger Yummy is it?" I muttered. "For some reason, just looking at you pisses me off."

The depths of the fool's desire for the girl must have been something if only about a minute of contact with her to allow the Yummy to fully develop so damn fast. I suppose since the girl was from some big military family anyone would see her as being the key to their whole careers. No doubt Alejandro felt the same. He probably saw a betrothal as his key to fortune and glory. Having me kick his ass and earn the favour of the girl's mother likely ripped that from him. His desperation would have made his desire that much more intense.

The Yummy roared, bringing me out of my introspection. I answered the call by taking a battle stance. I was tired, pissed, and in pain. I was going to wail on this freak before putting it out of its misery! The kaijin raised its weapon and began its charge at me. Of course, I decided that I was still allowed to play dirty. I pooled my energy and spread my arms out. My armour reacted and from my back bloomed a multitude of peacock feathers. They were spread out for a moment before I launched them like missiles at the approaching Tiger Yummy. At the range I had, I had no problems finding the target. Each feather impacted in a shower of sparks which knocked the Yummy away.

"Not so easy when I fight dirty too, isn't it?" I asked, even knowing I wouldn't get an answer.

The Yummy snarled and slashed its sword at me, sending more of those damnable wind blades at me. I quickly ducked and shot more fireballs from my own weapon at it. Wind and fire clashed, destroying one another, sending cinders through the air. From the corner of my eye, I spotted the girl watching with concern on her face.

"Don't just stand there!" I barked at her. "Hide somewhere!" It managed to get her scrambling some distance away, far enough she wouldn't get caught in the crossfire. With that said I decided to engage the fool in some good old fashioned close quarters combat. I ducked and dodged air blasts, countering with my own flames, before I got in range and swung a leg at him. The blades equipped to my boots slashed the Tiger Yummy across the chest, spilling Cell Medals on impact. I continued to hit it with a series of kicks, the blades on my heels causing damage with each strike. I will not deny that it was satisfying to see the Yummy in pain after all of the misery it and the fool put me through. If I had my way, I'd be putting him through more.

I took an extra moment to get in closer and unleashed another roundhouse kick into the Yummy. This time, the ankle blades dug into the monster's hide and tore open a sizable gash which wasn't healing as quickly as the other wounds had. Cell Medals spilled out from the wound, allowing me to see deep into the Yummy's body, seeing a swirling mass of Cell Medals. As the Yummy stumbled backwards from the blow, the Medals shifted and I spotted the fool's face inside the Yummy's chest and he looked like he was in agony. Good, he deserved it. He had taken what was mine so it was my right to kill him.

Of course, maybe I could humiliate him more by saving him instead. I threw my left fist forward, digging my hand into the Tiger Yummy's chest and gripped what I assumed to be the fool. I planted my foot on the Tiger Yummy's stomach and pushed it back as my arm pulled away from the Yummy, Cell Medals bursting outward along with the fool who'd become its host. I dropped him like a sack of potatoes and cracked my knuckles. It was time to finish this thing off and collect Cell Medals to replace the ones stolen by the thief.

The Yummy was stunned and looked to be in pain, likely being severed from its host caused an interruption in its mental processes. That was good for me. Dashing forward, I got behind the monster and wrapped its arms around its midsection before unleashing my wings again. A single leap and we were off in the air, flying straight up. The Yummy struggled, but I left it no room for leverage and it couldn't even strike with its sword. Flying high enough for my liking, I simply let the Yummy go and let it fall towards the ground, screaming as it went. I wasn't going to let it off that easy though. Oh no, I had something special in mind. Grabbing my O-Scanner, I swiped it across my Medals with that pleasing chiming noise.

"**SCANNING CHARGE!**"

I dove back down at the Yummy, moving at speeds which would let me pass it easily. Zooming closer, the armour on my legs ignited into red flames which lit up the night. I flipped over so that my feet would hit the Yummy first, but I kept my knees bent. As I moved, the leg armour on the sides of my legs and down to my ankles flipped up so that the ankle talons were pointed forward. With the talons on my toes where they were, it looked like my legs had transformed into a pair of flaming bird talons which would be perfect for what I wanted.

"SEEE-YAAAH!" I bellowed out, sounding like a falcon diving towards its prey. I reached the Yummy and impacted it with my talons with as much force as gravity and speed allowed me to do. The force rocked the Tiger Yummy, sending us to the ground even faster than before. The ground came up incredibly fast and the pierced Yummy hit first, exploding in my face with a fireball and Cell Medals flying around in all directions, chiming in the night-time air. The heat didn't bother me, not with the Medals I was using.

The flames died, leaving only a blackened circle while I stood up in the middle of it. I dusted my hands off and said, "Well that is that!" And I even got a new pile of Cell Medals to add to my collection. Not a bad night, to be honest.

GLOMP!

"Darling~" the girl cooed as she had my head pulled into her cleavage. Too bad my helmet got in the way. I wanted to feel those exquisite orbs pressed up against me. I mean, I was already in position for them anyway. Still, I had Cell Medals to collect first and I should probably get the girl something decent to wear. To do that I had to get her back to that damn school since all of her clothes were there, and I suppose her mother should know that her daughter was safe. As much as I wanted to leave the fool to rot, I probably would have to bring him back to the school for the guards as well. Then there was the fact that someone had stolen Cell Medals from me. All of these details practically made my head spin.

Wait, I really was getting dizzy.

Suddenly, I was overcome by fatigue and…

* * *

><p><em>Kirche gasped at the sudden added weight as her Darling's armour fizzled and faded out, leaving him in his natural form again. He collapsed against her, making her fall on her butt in the grass while he passed out in her cleavage. She really didn't mind, but the grass felt a little funny against her skin, considering she was still only in her sleeping clothes.<em>

"_It must have been too much for him," Kirche sighed, repositioning her Darling so that his head rested on her lap rather than on her chest. From what she learned, using a Full Combo like he did with his red Medals put an enormous amount of strain on his body. He obviously took a lot more strain from the fight, which made it a very amazing thing that he didn't pass out long ago. He got hurt so much for her sake it made her want to cry in remorse._

"_Rest, Darling," she whispered softly, letting her fingers run through his hair. "We'll head back when you're better."_

_Matthew gave off a soft groan and shifted slightly, possibly getting comfortable. He didn't look like he was in obvious pain, but Kirche was determined that if Louise didn't take him to see a water mage when they got back, she would. Maybe then she'd get her chance to steal him away once he returned to consciousness? Well, maybe when she was sure he was completely recovered. The attacks he took looked positively brutal!_

_A soft rustling noise took the redhead out of her introspection and looking up in alarm. She feared that man on the gryphon had returned to finish her Darling off, but she was relieved to find that Alejandro's Pegasus had simply come in for a landing nearby as it was trained to do as the steed of a soldier. It perhaps looked a little blackened from soot accumulated during the fight, but otherwise fine. It could certainly still fly if not walk along the ground._

"_Hmmm," Kirche pondered._

* * *

><p>I woke up in a soft bed at a familiar ceiling. It seemed that I was becoming a regular in the school's infirmary. Again, this was probably due to fatigue from using the powers of the Core Medals to use a Full Combo. '<em>Maybe I should start training and exercising,<em>' I thought to myself. I was going to need to increase my stamina so that I could last longer in a Full Combo but human endurance had its limits. Still, how did I get here? The last thing I remembered was beating that Tiger Yummy with the Prominence Drop attack before blacking out.

"Matthew, you're awake!" I heard Siesta gasp happily. Looking from where I was laying to the entrance to the room, I saw the maid walking over.

"Yeah," I groaned as I tried to get up but she gently pushed me back onto the bed.

"No, you must rest," she told me gently and worriedly. She was right. I really did need rest. My body felt like lead and I could barely move myself from the bed. Still, I had to learn what happened after I had passed out. Was Kirche okay? Did Alejandro get away? Did someone get the Cell Medals the Yummy left behind?

"What happened?" I asked weakly. "How'd I get here?"

"Ms. Zerbst brought you back," Siesta replied as she promptly attacked my pillow, turning it to its' absolute fluffiest it could. I have to admit, she was really good at that. "You were riding that awful Germanian man's Pegasus with you leaning against her back and that man being loaded on like a saddle bag. He was tied up at the arms and I think it was rather fitting he was done so."

"Tied up?" I blinked. When did Kirche have something to tie the guy up with. "With what?"

That question made Siesta flush slightly, "Her nightie," It took me a moment to process that, but then my eyes widened in shock. Kirche actually rode back in nothing but her panties? Siesta's next statement managed to bring me back to reality before I could make the mental image. "Although she wore your jacket back," Siesta's face then took a pouty/upset look, "She has yet to return it."

"Oh…okay," I blinked. Shaking my head, I tried to get back on track. "Siesta, a Yummy got involved when I was fighting Alejandro. I destroyed it, but there's a lot of Cell Medals left. Is there-?"

"Professor Colbert and some guards went out to collect those Medals as soon as Ms. Zerbst told them where they were," Siesta replied. "He was in quite a hurry too. I guess he knows how dangerous they can be in the wrong hands as well."

Wow, stuff had been happening since I had passed out. Still, "Siesta, I need you to pass a message on to Louise. Have her check the amount of Cell Medals we have so far. Someone showed up out there and claimed he stole some of them from us. He was the one who made the Yummy from Alejandro and we need to know how many he took."

Siesta's eyes bulged in shock. Apparently she hadn't heard that particular point of the recent events that happened, "I-I-I'll do it right away!" She was then off like a shot, sensing the urgency of my request.

I lay in bed. As far as I know only a handful of people knew about what the Cell Medals were capable of. So, who could've tipped off the thief? This was really giving me a headache. When I thought about it, some sleep sounded really good right about now. So I decided to just that. Maybe by the time we had to deal with the latest incidents I would be at least back on my feet again. Hopefully Louise wasn't going to be in too much of a panic when she realizes that some of our stash of Cell Medals had been stolen.

* * *

><p>It had taken a full day, but I managed to recover from using TaJaDol for so long. Unfortunately, Louise confirmed what the gryphon-riding thief told me. A whole pot of our Cell Medals were missing, leaving us with only one pot and those saddle bags left for us. Headmaster Osmond found the news to be very grave and assured me that he would use all of his contacts to try and find out who the thief was and how to find the Cell Medals before an army of Yummies were created. Still, that was for another day. Right now, we had to see Lady Zerbst off.<p>

"This visit has been very exciting," said Lady Zerbst as she stood in front of her carriage with her daughter. I was present as well and so was Louise, although she looked like she would have preferred to be anywhere else but in the woman's presence. Tabitha was also with us. She was of course Kirche's best friend so she was there to see Kirche's mother's off as well. "And Matthew, thank you again for saving my daughter."

Alejandro was shipped off immediately to Germania under armed guard so to face the justice system there. He was a Germanian citizen so he would be dealt with under Germanian law. No doubt he would be stripped of his title and locked up for kidnapping and possibly attempted rape. I mean he was trying to force Kirche to marry him, according to what she had told me after all the excitement had died down and I had recovered.

"It was nothing, Lady Zerbst," I said politely. Speaking of Kirche, I still didn't get my jacket back from her so I was currently in my BuraKaWani outfit. I would need to convince Kirche to return it soon and if not I was going to need to ask Quinn for a replacement. The latter was most likely since Kirche would not easily relinquish anything belonging to her 'darling', namely me. I was just afraid she'd turn it into her new sleeping apparel since she used her old one to bind her prisoner.

"Oh, please, call me Emma," Lady Zerbst smiled. She then hugged me close, pressing my face into her bosom. I have to be honest with you, everything Kirche had in terms of how incredible her chest was, Lady Zerbst had more of in spades.

"Mother, please," said Kirche as she grabbed me from her mother and sandwiched me in her own sinful valley, barely giving me time to breathe. I could hear Louise beginning to growl, but likely her fear of Lady Zerbst kept her from doing anything to me. I'd likely pay for it later, but right now I couldn't seem to muster up the energy to care. Either the lack of oxygen addled my brain or my hormones kicked my common sense to the curb. "He's mine!"

"But he's so fun to play with!" Lady Zerbst giggled, "And also so majestic. Your description of his armor pales in comparison to actually seeing it."

"I know," Kirche agreed, swooning as she hugged me tighter I was starting to see spots from the lack of air. "Red like a flame, and such powerful wings. He's like a phoenix."

"Matther MacGregor, the Phoenix Knight," Lady Zerbst recited. "It has a nice ring to it!"

"Mother, let's take Matthew home with us and make him a noble! With his heritage and power he would definitely fit in!"

"Ah, so you're making marriage plans already?"

"Excuse me!" Louise shouted. Maybe she wasn't so afraid of Lady Zerbst anymore or maybe her anger was stronger than her fear. Thankfully, it caught Kirche's attention too, making her let me go and take a big deep breath of precious air. "But Matthew is my Familiar!"

"Oh, how cute," Lady Zerbst chuckled, finally acknowledging Louise's presence. "It seems you have a rival for his affection, Kirche."

"What!-?" Louise shouted, red-faced.

"And you have good taste, Little Valliere," Lady Zerbst acknowledged. You know, it was times like these that I wondered if it was only the Vallieres who considered themselves in the midst of a rivalry with the Zerbsts in this generation. "I don't see anyone better than Matthew. Most young men these days are so…boring."

"Uh…Thank you?" I offered weakly.

"Well, I'll be off now," said Lady Zerbts before kissing Kirche on the cheek, a gesture her daughter returned. "I'll see you soon, Kirche. Oh, and don't forget to bring along Matthew for a visit!"

"I promise, Mother!" Kirche beamed.

"Ta-ta then!" Lady Zerbst waved before she entered the carriage proper and let the driver shut the door behind her. The man then scrambled to the front and took the reins before getting his horses to begin moving. The Lady Zerbst's carriage then took off at a polite pace and passed through the exit gate of the school, its destination Germania.

"Oh that was so much fun!" Kirche giggled. "I can't wait to bring Darling home with me for the holidays!"

"Oh no you won't!" Louise cried, her face still flustered over the rival-for-affection comment. "He's _my_ Familiar! He's going nowhere near Germania!"

"So you say, but I think I can convince him otherwise," Kirche teased.

"You won't get the chance!" the pinkette snapped back.

Tabitha and I just watched the pair argue, the sight having become routine for the both of us. Sighing, I glanced over to the bluenette who was reading her ever-present book once again, seemingly ignoring the sight of her best friend and Louise arguing again. Shaking my head, I asked, "So, how was your day?"

She shrugged as a response. I took it to mean it was an average day for her.

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, chapter 9 is complete. Hope you enjoyed it!


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own Familiar of Zero or Kamen Rider OOO. Those belong to their respective creators and not me.

**Familiar of ZerOOO**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**Chapter 10: Love Potions, Love Sickness and the Water Spirit**

I stood outside a small stone hut that was in a corner of the property within the academy stone walls that acted as a barrier between the school proper and the outside world. It was a very humble space which seemed rather cozy. I was told that it was where Professor Colbert liked to experiment and try to advance magic further. It was where he spent most of his time outside of teaching class or researching something. It was also where I had decided to go looking for him.

Since the incident with Alejandro and Lady Zerbst, I was able to finally get some free time once again. I decided to use it by tracking down the schoolteacher and see what he managed to dig up on the runes on my hand. Twice now I've been called Gandalfr, both by Foquet and by that gryphon-riding thief. They obviously knew what the runes meant so I had hoped that Colbert would know as well.

"Professor Colbert?" I called, knocking on the door. "Are you in?"

"Just a moment!" a voice within called. After a heartbeat, I heard what I could only call a compressed explosion sound off. Smoke started coming from a window at the back, indicating that something had happened. Was he experimenting with something?

A moment later, the door opened to reveal Professor Colbert, slightly smoky from some kind of explosion which was a result of his latest experiment. Wiping the soot off his face, he smiled at me, "Ah, Matthew, please come in!"

Nodding, I politely entered the man's laboratory. Inside was a stone room with several parchment posters depicting pentagrams or scientific charts decorating the walls. Tables were under the windows and in the centre of the room, all of them filled with beakers and bottles each filled with different coloured liquids.

"Welcome to my lab," Colbert smiled as he shut the door behind me. "Sorry about the mess. I was just experimenting with those Cell Medals you were so generous enough to give to me."

"You were?" I blinked. Okay, now my curiosity was piqued enough to put the Gandalfr word aside for the moment. "Did you discover anything?"

"Well, not much on the magical ends," Colbert sighed. "That small explosion was from myself trying to add a potion to a mass of melted Cell Medals to see if any enchantments would be revealed," He gestured to a small iron pot on a burner which was filled with bubbling silver liquid. Smoke was coming from the silver and it was drifting out the window. "What should have happened would be ambient light from a reaction telling me what kind of magic was used to help create them. Instead, a small explosion came out."

"Ouch," I winced. That couldn't have been fun. "Have you managed to find anything?"

"Actually, I did make a discovery in their composition," the teacher replied, brightening up. "You mentioned they were made with alchemy so I decided to use what alchemy I know to try and distil what they were made from. I'm no expert at earth magic, but I manage to get by with my tools."

"Oh," I nodded. "So did you find anything?"

"A very interesting conclusion," he smiled. "From what I found, the Cell Medals are an alchemical product by fusing together water, carbon, ammonia, lime, phosphorus, salt, saltpetre, sulphur, fluorine, iron, silicon, and 15 other substances," He seemed giddy at the discovery. "The complexity at the number of substances to fuse together is so much that perhaps even Square Class mages would find it nearly impossible to accomplish this. I myself had to melt down handfuls of Cell Medals to learn this much."

While I was surprised that anyone in the age of development that Halkenginia knew what those substances were, I was more surprised that I knew what those elements together could create. As a reader of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga and watcher of the anime, I had seen that list depicting what made up a human body. Suddenly, it made sense why the Cell Medals worked so well in creating the bodies of the Greeed and Yummies, they were made from the same things that made up humans bodies. I had wondered how piles of Cell Medals could form into the image of flesh and blood bodies. One mystery solved I supposed.

And the Greeed had been classed as Homunculi, artificial lifeforms created through the art of alchemy. Normally, creating life was a sin. Only God could create life but those alchemists did and their creations ended up turning on them.

"Well, that's enough about what I've been up to," Colbert nodded, taking a moment to clean his glasses. "What brings you to my lab?"

The question actually helped me remember what I came for. "I was actually hoping to ask you a question Professor. Do you know what 'Galdalfr' is supposed to mean?" The closest thing I'd heard to that word before I came to Tristain was a guy named Gandalf who was a sorcerer in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Call me a geek or nerd or whatever, but the books and films were really good.

"Gandalfr?" Colbert blinked, replacing his glasses. "Well, to answer that question, you have to understand the history of magic in Halkenginia." Walking past me, he gestured to the pentagram on the wall which had each of the points marked with words I couldn't read.

"Now, I'm sure you know by now that all magic users can be classified between the four elements; wind, water, fire, and earth," the teacher explained. "What you probably haven't heard was that long ago there used to be a fifth element that we call 'void'. It's only ever been recorded as being used by Founder Brimir, the man who founded the countries of Halkenginia as we know it and his descendants are the rulers of the five countries."

"Wow," I blinked. He sounded like quite a guy. "So…I'm assuming that 'Gandalfr' has something to do with all of this void stuff?"

"Precisely," Colbert nodded, walking to his lab table in the centre of the room. "Those runes on your hand are the same as those on Founder Brimir's Familiar."

So, I had the same runes as the Founder's Familiar? Wait, wasn't this Brimir guy a void mage? So did that mean…?

"Professor, you must know why Louise can only cause explosions when she casts magic then," I spoke.

"Well…optimistically I'd say yes," Colbert nodded, setting his some of his tools aside. "However, aside from the runes on your hand, there's no real way to prove that you are that legendary Familiar, nor that Louise is a Void Mage. Her record…speaks for itself."

"True…" I grimaced. At least for Louise's sake I had to make sure. She was a complete flop in the four elements so maybe if she was a void mage after all, she could finally hold her head up high, magically speaking, "But, isn't there some way to be sure? I mean, that first Gandalfr must have had something, some kind of power which would make identifying one easier."

"Well…" Colbert pondered. It seemed he wanted to have faith in Louise too. That was a marking of a good teacher if I had to be honest. A teacher who cared about how his students were doing in all aspects was a teacher to admire. Rather than care about just what they taught or were at worst indifferent save for how student performances affect their pay, teachers like Colbert were ones students would go to if they needed help. It was easy to tell that he wanted to help Louise out with her problems.

"Yes?" I asked, seeing him hesitate. Did he know something?

"My research revealed that the Gandalfr was capable of wielding any kind of weapon with such proficiency that he could hold off an army so that Founder Brimir could cast his spells," the bespectacled teacher explained.

I nodded as I examined the information Colbert gave me. Suddenly, some of my questions which popped up suddenly made sense. When I fought those Trash Yummies with Derflinger, I was moving like a master swordsman. When I donned my armour for the first time and figured to just lash out at Guiche's golem, something told me what would be good and not good to use against the thing. In every battle I was able to fight like I had mastered the armour even though I had never fought or studied any form of martial arts. Fighting Yummies came second nature to me while fighting nobles was a moderate effort. Battle came easier to me than even writing fanfiction did.

"Would the runes glow if I had that power and it activated?" I asked slowly, remembering what the runes did when I had gripped Derflinger to fight those Trash Yummies.

"Well, I suppose it's possible," Colbert nodded. "Has this happened to you?"

"Yes. When I drew Derflinger to fight some training dummies," I replied. "I never noticed it before since every time I fought I was wearing my armour." I looked up to the surprised schoolteacher. "I have to be honest. Before that duel with Guiche, I never used the armour to fight before. Until I first drew Derflinger to fight Foquet's golem, I had never drawn a sword before either."

"My word!" Colbert gasped, his eyes widening in shock as he realized the implications of what I was saying. He knew how well I was able to fight as OOO and when I drew Derflinger. He had heard reports or managed to spy my battles against various nobles when I fought. He and I both knew how well I adapted myself on the field of battle. To hear that I had never fought with either of my weapons before those first few times were grave implications. "I…I had suspected, but there was no way to confirm it, until now!"

"Well, there's evidence that strongly suggests it now," I replied. "If this does prove that I'm this Gandalfr that Foquet and that gryphon guy were talking about, that would make Louise a void mage after all." I remembered to the explosions which Louise had made in the past. "Do you think that's why she screws up every spell she tries? Her void magic is just so potent that conventional means of using magic just isn't enough to control it? I mean, there's no one out there who knows how to use it these days."

"T-That's a strong possibility, if your status as Gandalfr is true," Colbert answered, looking quite excited over the possibility of a void mage appearing in the school he worked at. Well, for a Void Mage to appear is likely akin to some legendary figure appearing before you so I guess I could understand why he was getting so worked up. Still, it seemed like he was trying not to get himself too excited in case it turned out I wasn't the legendary Familiar and Louise wasn't a Void Mage. "It seems you are indeed bringing interesting times with you. The sheer research needed to confirm or deny this…"

"Um…is that good or bad?" I wondered.

"Oh research is never a bad thing, especially when it leads to a new discovery!" Colbert beamed. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll have to make an excursion to the library to look up void magic a little more in order to see if there are any other identifying signatures we can use to discern your status."

"Ah," I nodded. "Well, I'll leave you to it then. I'll just see myself out," I turned to head for the door again…

…then I froze.

Hanging on a hook on the back of the door, where a person who was entering wouldn't see it was a backpack. It wasn't one of those carrying packs that people in Halkenginia would carry around on long travels either. This one was black and made of synthetic materials with stitching so precise that only a machine could have done them so well. Plastic, actual plastic buckles decorated the strap to help secure the pack to the wearer. The front also held an outdoor backpacking logo, made from stitching again so precise that only a machine could have made it.

It was a backpack from home, my backpack that I had been carrying when Louise summoned me!

"Is something wrong?" asked Colbert, seeing that I had frozen all of a sudden.

"Professor, where did you get that?" I asked, pointing at the bag hanging on the wall. His eyes followed to where I was pointing and landed on the bag.

"That? Oh I picked it up at the day of the summoning for the second years," he answered. "I didn't want it to get lost and was…going…to…" he trailed off before he quite visibly grimaced and looked at to me with the look of a man who just realized that he had screwed up. "Oh Matthew, I'm so sorry. I was going to ask if it was yours, but then I forgot when I started thinking about your runes, and then the Cell Medals, Foquet, and even Viscount Corleone. It completely slipped my mind."

"Did you look in it?" I asked, turning to the teacher. I guess he really was the proverbial absent-minded professor.

"No," Colbert denied, stepping away from his table so he could stand next to me. "I wanted to make sure if it was yours or not before I attempted to see what was inside. So, is it truly yours?"

"I would think so," I nodded. Hell, I had that backpack for close to five years now. Of course I would know what it would look like. "Just to be sure, we'd better take a look inside. I know exactly what was in it when I was summoned so we can use that to prove it."

"By all means," Colbert agreed. "I feel just horrible by forgetting about it though."

"It happens," I shrugged, grabbing the pack so to remove it from the wall. Setting it down on the floor at my feet, I pulled the zipper to open the bag up. Colbert was leaning slightly, trying to get a good view of what was in the bag, likely curious about what he might find.

What first caught out eye was the silver belt which had an orb-like centre that looked like a gachapon ball which was white on the top and green on the bottom. The right side of the buckle had a gold knob which was able to turn like on certain kinds of vending machines. The other side was less decorative as a slab of silver and had a coin slot at one side for the person wearing it to drop coins into while the bottom had an opening to take them out.

The other thing that caught my attention was the large two-handed gun which was black with yellow strips and another green and white gachapon ball decorating the sides. Near the front of the barrel and where the user would hold the gun to keep steady was a clear cylindrical container which the ammo of the device could be put into. The top of the gun was flat with a hole, to allow something to be locked into place. The barrel of the gun had a similar configuration, but rather than a round hole for bullets to come out of, it was a rectangular slot which I knew would be able to shoot energy from Cell Medals.

What was I was looking at was the Birth Driver and Birth Buster. Some props I was bringing with me to the convention for a friend who was dressing up as Date from Kamen Rider OOO and needed the proper items to complete his costume.

I took out the Birth Driver to see if it was real or not. Before I was summoned to Halkenginia, it was a toy modeled after the one on the show but since my own O-Driver had originally been a toy before I was pulled into this place, I wondered if the Birth Driver had been enhanced just as well. I also took out the Birth Buster. Examining the two items, I thought of what might happen if I tried them on. On one hand they might be duds like my Medajalibur had been. On the other hand...Maybe I should test them out just to be sure.

I originally thought I might have lost them when I got summoned here but now I was relieved to see them safe and sound. Sure, Colbert should've told me but maybe he was the absent-minded type. He had been pretty focused on his experiments.

"What are these?" Colbert asked, seemingly entranced by the sight of the two machines.

"The Birth Driver and Birth Buster," I told him. "This belt works like my O-Driver while the Buster is a weapon for the wearer to use."

"Really?" His eyes seemed to sparkle.

"Yes, but it was made by different set of people. They were trying to duplicate how the king was able to use the power of the Core Medals. Unfortunately, they could only get it to run on Cell Medals instead," I told him.

"Amazing!" he exclaimed. The schoolteacher then looked to me in a way that I can only compare to a child who was begging a parent for a new toy. "Do you think you could demonstrate how it works? For science?"

"Um, well, I was planning on testing it out to see if it works," I sweatdropped. Watching a man in his thirties to forties ask with the enthusiasm of a ten-year old was a little creepy. "Do you still have any Cell Medals left?"

"Plenty!" the man grinned. "Let me get them!"

Colbert headed over to one of his desks while I stood up, holding the Driver and Buster. The teacher shuffled around one of his desks for a moment before finding what he was looking for. He then returned with the pot of Cell medals I remembered giving him after the Hawk Yummy went on the rampage, but it was half empty. Colbert likely wasn't afraid to experiment and wasn't thrifty when he did it either.

"Shall we go?" he asked excitedly.

"Sure," I nodded.

The two of us walked outside of the lab and into the courtyard where we could get some open space. When we got to a spot where there were no students around, I set the Birth Buster to the ground and strapped the Birth Driver around my waist.

"Okay, now I'm going to need a Cell Medal," I explained to Colbert. "All of the features of this armour requires me to use a Cell Medal as payment. One Medal to activate the belt and I'll need more to activate any weapons or finishing attacks."

"I see," Colbert nodded, making notes on a scroll I was sure he didn't have when we left his lab. Maybe he had it in his cloak? Completing his scribbling, he grabbed a Cell Medal from his pot and tossed it to me. Catching it, I idly noted that it was marked wit the image of a scorpion. How was that for symbolism?

"Here goes nothing," I sighed, bringing the Medal to the slot on the belt. "Henshin." I dropped the Medal into the Driver. To my rising glee and excitement, a round circle with an image of a Cell Medal on top appeared in front of the Driver as a hologram. Grinning, I began twisting the knob.

***CRANK!***

***CRANK!***

***POP!***

The centre of the Birth Driver popped open in a flash of light, signalling the activation. An orb of green light then surrounded me as several balls flew out from the belt and positioned themselves around me at certain points of my body. My shoulders, back, chest, knees, forearms, and thighs all played host to one of those orbs. Once they were in place, the orbs began unfolding into sections of armour which attached to my body. When the armour was formed, the spaces between were filled with a black bodysuit which was designed to take high amounts of punishment. Lastly, my helmet formed around my head and completed the transformation, dispelling the orb that was around me.

My torso armour was green on the right side while the left side was silver with a green and white gachapon orb over my heart and gold lining the collar. My shoulder armour was somewhat small and round with more gachapon orbs. I wore silver gauntlets decorated with the same orbs with gold bands on the wrists along with brief thigh armour adorned with the same spheres. My leg armour was almost completely silver with orbs at my knees and gold bands around my ankles with black foot protection armour. My helmet sported a silver face plate. My visor was a thin U-shape which had the ends pointing up like horns. Completing the look was a white and green sphere that was more dominated by the white side.

I had become Kamen Rider Birth!

The difference between Kamen Rider OOO and Birth was that OOO was a Rider who was created through the ancient science of alchemy while Birth had been created with modern science and technology. Cell Medals were discovered to be a potentially powerful energy source, which allowed the Birth Driver to materialise the suit. Frankly, the fact that science managed to harness magic as a source of power for modern technology was a pretty big achievement in my book. Generally, mixing science and magic didn't go over too well for those involved in some way, shape, or form.

"Amazing!" exclaimed Colbert as he adjusted his glasses from the shock.

A flexed my fingers, getting into the feel of the armour. Now this was different. I could tell how the Birth armour felt and inside the helmet I could see everything. I could even see the helmet's HUD which was the same as in the series. If Colbert was impressed, I was floored. This was completely different from the OOO armour. Dr. Maki and his associates certainly knew what they were doing when they made this puppy.

At least now I had a backup suit in case I somehow lost my Core Medals. But what were the odds of _that_ happening?

I picked up the Birth Buster and considered filling up the cylindrical chamber under the barrel with Cell Medals to see if the gun actually worked. Of course considering how I had tried to use the toy Medajalibur and failed, it would seem prudent of me to test this baby out.

"Come on, professor," I said to Colbert, "Let's test this bad boy out."

* * *

><p>We had to relocate to a different spot since I would need some targets to practice with the Birth Buster.<p>

I had the chamber filled up with Cell Medals before pouring the Cell Medals into a hole on the back of the gun. The chamber, also known as the Cell Bullet Pod, was used to reload the Birth Buster and to catch used Cell Medals. It could also be connected to the barrel for a Cell Burst attack.

"OK, let's see how this goes," I said as I gripped the Birth Buster, keeping one hand gripped onto the Cell Bullet Pod under the gun as Colbert watched. I pulled the trigger and was pushed back by the recoil as a yellow energy bullet in the shape of a Cell Medal shot out and hit a tree, piercing right through the bark and embedding itself deep into the trunk. I stared at the smoking barrel. It was a bit of a shock but I was really glad that had worked.

Next, I was going to try something else. I grabbed a Cell Medal and loaded it into the Birth Driver before twisting the knob. There was the audible 'pop' sound and then a mechanical voice calling out,

"**SHOVEL ARM!"**

The orb on my left forearm suddenly popped open, glowing bright orange as the power activated, unleashing a multitude of glowing orange machine parts which flew to my forearm and hand. They all attached to the metal armour, locking into place and forming my weapon. When all of the pieces assembled together, a wave of energy passed over it, creating a casing over it. The section over my forearm was silver and I could see some hydraulic parts underneath the casing. My hand was covered with what I would call the shovel section of a backhoe. It was bright orange at the wrist joint while my fingers were uncased in the shovel section and my thumb was in the smaller claw section. I had a hydraulic claw as my weapon.

"Incredible!" Colbert gasped out.

"Oh yeah," I nodded, examining the weapon. Inside of the device, my hand felt hot again, likely the runes activating again. The Shovel Arm was a perfect tool for heavy fist attacks, but it was also good to extract people out of feline Yummies. It had some piercing power if I punched in the right manner, which would have been perfect against that Tiger Yummy that possessed Alejandro. "Definitely going to have to test this out."

Setting down my gun, I walked over to Colbert, who was watching rapt fascination and making notes on his observations on the way I used my armour. Reaching his pot of Cell Medals, I took out a pair of them and returned to where I had placed the Birth Buster. In position, I clenched the two Medals tightly in my hand. A cracking noise sounded off and I saw that I had split the pair in two. Satisfied, I tossed the pieces away and waited. Sure enough, the pieces erupted in bandages and dust to form into the bodies of Trash Yummies.

Needless to say, Colbert was in a state of delight.

"Now, let's see what this baby can do!" I laughed, letting the hydraulics in the Shovel Arm hiss in anticipation of battle.

I charged at the four Yummies, moving way faster than I should. Although that was either my runes or the suit was debatable at the moment. I met with the first Trash Yummy as it shambled at me and promptly slugged it in the face with my hydraulic fist. The force of said punch slammed it into the ground. I continued on and swung my arm wide, smashing two of them at once and putting them both down. Finally, the last Trash Yummy lunged at me but my enhanced reflexes allowed me to uppercut the monster, sending it sailing back. On a regular human, there would be broken jaws or cracked skulls. Trash Yummies on the other hand seemed to be slightly dazed, but recovering.

Dismissing my Shovel Arm, I dashed back past the recovering Yummies and to where I had set down the Birth Buster. Picking it up, I positioned myself and aimed at the recovering Trash Yummies. I hit the trigger, and began shooting out semi-automatic bursts of Cell Medal energy. I have to say, thank God, Brimir or whoever gave me the runes otherwise the recoil would have taken me off my feet thanks to my true inexperience with the weapon. Medal-shaped bursts struck the Trash Yummies, knocking back in their shambling steps. Some dust was escaping from their bodies, but I would have to reload several times in order to take them down and Colbert only had so many Cell Medals and I hadn't brought Derflinger with me.

"Hey, Colbert," I called to the rapidly writing teacher. "Want to see one of the finishing techniques this suit has?"

"Yes please!" the man nodded rapidly. Okay, the sparkle in his eyes was really beginning to creep me out.

I fired off my last shot, emptying the Buster. I quickly pulled off the Cell Bullet Pod and poured the spent Medals into the grass. To my surprise, they dissolved into silver dust and vanished in the light breeze. Weapon emptied, I dashed back over to where Colbert and the Medals were situated. I grabbed only two Medals and returned to the battle area where the Trash Yummies were shambling towards me. Getting into position, I dropped another Cell Medal into the Birth Driver. A quick turn of the knob and…

"**BREAST CANNON!**"

The Receptacle Orb in my chest popped open and turned red as it released a multitude of glowing red machine parts. The items then collected on my chest and formed into a new chest plate with a cannon barrel extended from the centre with a red ring around the end. It was bulky, but I wasn't using it for finesse. I took a position in front of the four Yummies and took my last Cell Medal and popped it in. Another twist of the knob activated it.

"**CELL BURST!**"

Hands free, I gripped the handles of the Breast Cannon and pointed it at the Trash Yummies as red energy began to collect in the barrel. I could have added more, but I wanted to take down the Yummies, not make a crater in the ground. I had enough energy for that. So, I made sure my aim was correct and… "Fire!"

A red stream of power shot from the barrel of the weapon and collided with the first of the Yummies, knocking it back into the others. All four was taken clean off their feet before they exploded into a cloud of black dust, Cell Medal Shards dropping to the ground.

"Whew," I nodded, dismissing my weapon. The pieces disassembled before entering the Receptacle Orb in my chest armour again. "Well, I'd call that a successful test."

"Wait!" Colbert cried, dashing up to me. "Don't take it off yet! Surely there are more aspects to it we can examine? Think of the research and breakthroughs this suit could bring!"

"Uh…" I grimaced. I had a feeling that this was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p><em>Louise snarled as she stalked the academy grounds. All day she had not seen hide nor hair of her Familiar and it got her agitated. Were it not for the fact that Kirche was in her classes as well, she'd have assumed his was being a perverted dog and following her around like some worshipful slave.<em>

_Her mood hadn't been that good since it was revealed that not only had Lady Zerbst intended to make her Familiar into her son-in-law. That and the fact that one of their pots of Cell Medals had been stolen by some thief in the night while those thugs attempted to break into the castle. She felt responsible to an extent, leaving the Medals out in the open like she had was just asking for trouble. Now some villain out there had a potential army at his command._

_The fact among other things, but mostly Kirche's intense attraction to her Familiar, caused Louise to harbour a rather sour mood for most of the day. It only got worse when she found Matthew nowhere to be found by the time the sun was setting._

"_Ooooh, when I see that dog again I'm going to collar him to my room and make sure he stays there!" she muttered darkly to herself._

_Walking through the night-covered courtyard, she idly noted that two of the students had a table set up and were enjoying a candlelit dinner together. It was Guiche and Montmorency if she saw correctly and the curled blonde was mentioning a flying naked woman and Guiche looking around wildly. She also saw that they had glasses of wine with them. At the moment, some wine to take the edge off her temper sounded like a very good idea._

_She stomped up to the table, not offering any kind of greeting before grabbing the glass of wine Guiche had, "I'm drinking this!" She then gulped down the glass in one gulp, replaced the glass, and stomped away muttering about her 'stupid dog'._

_She did wonder why she was beginning to feel warm so suddenly._

* * *

><p>I spent several hours in Prof. Colbert's company as we both tested out the Kamen Rider Birth suit. Afterwards, I entrusted the Birth Driver to him. I don't know why but I had a feeling that it would be in good hands. I just hoped he didn't try to take the thing apart.<p>

Still, I was finally able to return to the dorms after answering what questions about the Driver that Colbert had. I think I had become his best friend by the end of it all, having given him so many new things to research. Still, I was tired from having to use all of the CLAWS weapons and fighting so many Trash Yummies over and over again. Still, I found it to be slightly therapeutic to be honest. It was much more relaxing than fighting true Yummies.

Coming back to the dorm room, I knocked slightly to make sure I didn't catch Louise at a bad time and then entered when I didn't get a reply. Sure enough, I spotted my trusty sword leaning in the straw pile which was my bed.

"Hi Derflinger," I greeted, stepping into the room.

"Uh…Partner?" asked the sword, immediately catching my attention since he seemed to be nervous. "You'd better look behind-!"

*WHUMP!*

"…you."

I was tackled from behind by something which caused me to stumble forward and fall onto Louise's bed. Whatever hit me seemed light, but it was squirming to get a firm hold on me. I struggled to turn over while whatever had hit me scrambled up my back and wrapped their arms around my neck. I finally managed to get my balance and turned over to see that who had jumped me was…

Louise?

"Matthew!" she cried out joyously. She was dressed in her nightgown and looked a little flushed for some reason. Like I said, she seemed pretty happy to see me too. "I missed you so much!"

And then she kissed me!

WTF?-!-?-!-?-!

I don't mean some demure chaste kiss that one would expect a proper-type of girl to give. This was something I would have expected Kirche to give. It was straight on my lips and she was pressing herself against me as much as she could, making me heat up with her body temperature. The soft cooing noises she was making while kissing me sure painted an image.

…and was that her TONGUE?

I reiterate, WTF?-!-?-!-?-!

* * *

><p><em>He was back! He was back! The love of her life was back in her arms where he belonged! Why oh why did he have to go out all the time and leave her alone?<em>

"_Fuuu!" Louise gasped as she broke off that wonderful kiss with her knight. Looking down at him, she smiled. That confused look on his face was so cute! As if he didn't know why she gave him such a special kiss!_

"_L-Louise?" he stammered out. "Wh-wh-wha-what? Huh? Wha…"_

"_Oh you big silly!" Louise giggled at him. _

"_Wha…" he continued to gape in that oh so cute manner of his, "Why did you-?"_

"_Why shouldn't I kiss the man I love?" Louise pouted "It's better than the way Kirche kisses you, right? You'll want to stay with me, right? I can love you a lot better than she can, right?" _

* * *

><p>OK, now I knew something was definitely wrong with Louise. I mean she was love struck by ME! And she never actually showed signs of affection before so why so suddenly? It just didn't make sense. I mean, she was tsundere sure, but I don't think she'd reveal her softer side so readily as she had just now. So quite understandably the kiss had taken me by surprise and now she was aiming for another one.<p>

I managed to dodge the second kiss by rolling us over, pinning her down by her shoulders and looking her in the eye. Unfortunately, the love struck look in her eyes hadn't changed…and was she blushing? She looked way to happy for someone who was being effectively pinned down on their beds by someone else…

Wait, the position we were in was...

That was when the door opened.

God fucking dammit.

* * *

><p><em>"Matthew, I..."<em>

_Siesta had come to speak with Matthew since she had missed him all day. She was hoping to spend some time with him. Maybe even borrow him for a few minutes so they could have at least a little time to themselves so she could try and cement her position in his life further. Well, that had been the plan until she opened the door to surprise him and instead saw the boy she was falling for on top of Louise._

_One could have heard a pin drop._

"_Um…," Siesta gulped, feeling her fantasies of her knight in shining armour begin to shatter. "ExcusetheinterruptionI'll beleavingnow!"_

_The heartbroken maid then backed out of the room and began to run away, hoping that she hadn't interrupted the pair of lovers too badly…_

"_WAIT! THIS ISN'T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE! HONEST!"_

* * *

><p>After taking some time to chase down Siesta and explain the situation to her, while dodging Louise and her whining pitiful cries of why I wanted a maid when I had her, I managed to explain myself. So Siesta was in Louise's room with us as I tried to explain just what had occurred, not that I knew what was going on either. Derflinger was still where I left him, snickering at the situation but for politeness' sake didn't say anything. Louise was unfortunately in my lap, snuggling away with delighted sighs. I had tried to remove her, but she would give me these 'kicked puppy dog' eyes that would make me feel like a total ass for making her sad so I reluctantly let her take her position.<p>

"So…you two weren't having a tryst?" Siesta asked hopefully.

"Yes," Louise sighed happily into my chest.

"No!" I insisted, shooting a look at the pinkette in my lap. Sighing, I turned my attention back to Siesta, "Louise has never shown me any affection before and now…Louise!"

The reason for my sudden outburst was because Louise had just pinched my cheeks and began tugging on them. Once against she was looking at me in that adorable pout which should be made illegal. Quite obviously, she wasn't pleased.

"Why won't you look at me, Matthew?" she huffed. She glanced over at Siesta and I saw her eyes narrow angrily. "It's because of the breasts, isn't it?"

"Wait…" I tried to argue, but Louise had already vacated my lap at a pace that I likely could only match with the Cheetah Medal. She then appeared behind Siesta and grabbed her admittedly sizable breasts roughly, pinching and pulling them.

"Stupid breasts! I hate you!" Louise cried as she continued her assault. Siesta didn't stay still as she tried to squirm out of the pinkette's grip and actually fight back. I could only stare flabbergasted…ok, dumfounded at what I was seeing.

Just what the heck was going on?

"H-Hey Partner!" Derflinger chuckled, apparently trying very hard to control himself. "S-Sounds like you and the girl are the victim of a love potion. How does it feel having the girl not trying to attack you every other day?"

Admittedly, my next thought may not have been too smart, "Not bad I guess, but…wait, a love potion?" I blinked, latching on to Derflinger's idea of a cause. "Those things actually exist?"

"A love potion?-!" Siesta gasped, freezing in the middle of her defence of her breasts which Louise was still trying to attack. Thankfully the maid had longer arms than Louise did. "That's impossible! Potions which manipulate emotions are illegal!"

"Illegal?-!" I gaped. Holy crap, then Louise was dosed with something that would for all intents and purposes be a date rape drug? I immediately came to the conclusion that when I found out who had done this, I would kick their asses clear across the school.

"Louise?" I asked, trying to sound pleasant. The pinkette immediately halted her assault on Siesta's breasts so she could pay attention to me. She had nothing but love and adoration in her eyes as she gazed at me in anticipation, leaving Siesta to fix her clothes. "Louise, did anyone give you something to drink recently?"

"Um…no," Louise denied, shaking her head.

"Have you drunk anything lately?" I pressed, knowing she had to have taken something. A love potion didn't just find its way into a person without them knowing. Well, unless they had it on something she touched and let it get absorbed into the skin. I didn't even want to consider that option.

"Well…"Louise pondered, sauntering over to me to try and reclaim her spot on my lap again. "I did drink a glass of wine that Guiche had outside with Montmorency. I was upset that you weren't there to keep me company today so I decided to have some wine to take the edge of my pain off."

Siesta gasped as she heard the explanation, "Miss Montmorency is a Water Mage, so she should have the skill to make a love potion."

"And she does have her own chemistry set," I frowned, recalling the time Kirche had dragged me up to the blonde's room to get a healing balm from her. She certainly wasn't lacking in equipment and I was sure that she had more than enough ingredients for any kind of potion. "Knowing her, she probably made it to get Guiche to be more loyal to her and Louise took it instead."

"This is bad," Siesta whimpered. "Using love potions is a serious crime. It's hard to prove and we can't face Miss Montmorency without proof. If we go to the faculty to get an antidote, it'll make the situation worse since at least one person's reputation will be tarnished. Miss Montmorency's family may try to enact restitution on Louise's for the shame."

"Like about half the parents out there with kids would do," I sighed, reluctantly allowing Louise to snuggle back into my lap. It seemed that a lot of parents would deny that their kids were anything less than perfect angels, which was likely one of the reasons why kids in such families ended up spoiled because no one would discipline them or weren't allowed to discipline them. You know, that would likely explain why there were so many spoiled kids hanging around.

"Fuuu," Louise happily sighed, snuggling against my chest. To me, it was another reminder of what had happened to Louise and what almost happened to Guiche.

"You know what," I frowned. "Forget the proof. We just make Montmorency make an antidote and that's that."

"How?" asked Siesta.

"I have a few ideas," I replied, frowning darkly.

* * *

><p><em>Montmorency was in her labroom, pacing back and forth. "This is bad…this is bad…" she murmured to herself. Louise had drunk the potion she had made to make Guiche to be more faithful to her. Now, it wouldn't be so bad but Louise was a member of the Vallieres and while she may not think much of 'the Zero' she was worried about what would happen if this got out. The Vallieres were one of the most powerful families in all of Tristain! Louise was going to exhibit very obvious signs and fixate immediately on the first person she saw. Maybe nobody would notice? That was a very thin hope but she needed to grasp onto something and she did not want to tug at her perfect blonde hair._

_Suddenly, she heard loud knocking on her door and nearly screamed as she jumped. She tried to calm down, a hand on her thumping heart, and went to the door to shoo away whoever had come._

* * *

><p>Luckily, I remembered where to find her room so it didn't take us too long to get there. Siesta was with me too, but I wasn't sure if she was here to help me with talking to the blonde mage or to keep Louise from trying to steal more kisses from me. Louise was hanging onto my arm tightly, nearly cutting off the circulation. Well, it was better than her trying to jump me.<p>

I had knocked loudly on the door, hopefully to wake Montmorency out and get this problem solved as soon as I could. We managed to spot Guiche walking through the halls, likely heading back to his own dorms after a romantic night with his girlfriend. He was a little unnerved with how Louise was acting, but after I explained what his girlfriend tried to do, he decided to see if there was anything to the accusation. Frankly, even if he didn't want to I would have dragged him along. Montmorency made the potion, but she did it likely to try and ensure Guiche's loyalty so it was partially the playboy's fault in my opinion.

If he had spawned a Yummy, I knew it would just try to kidnap all the girls in the school.

"Montmorency!" I called, slamming on the door again.

"Uh…Sir Matthew?" Guiche commented. "Montmorency may be-,"

"I don't care if she's awake, asleep, or changing," I interrupted him. "She's the only one who can quietly set it right and she is going to do that or else there's going to be a shit storm with her family's name in the middle of it."

Guiche gulped and shut his mouth. He likely didn't know what the term 'shit storm' meant, but he could certainly draw a likely conclusion from it. After a moment, the lath on the door sounded off before it opened. On the other side was Montmorency, looking a little upset.

"Now see here commoner, I don't appreciate being interrupted this late!" she frowned, making herself look pompous and imperial. Too bad I was too angry to care.

"Too bad," I replied. I gestured to Louise who was still snuggling against my arm happily. "Now fix this."

"Um," the blonde girl blinked, her face losing a shade of colour before she turned away. "I don't know what you are talking about."

So she wanted to play stupid then? Well, that wasn't going to work for very long, "The love potion you were trying to slip Guiche tonight. The one Louise accidentally took when she stole Guiche's wine. I know you made it, now fix it."

"How dare you accuse me of making a love potion!-?" Montmorency growled, putting up a big show of being insulted that she was being fingered for making the potion in question.

"I have the proof clinging to my arm and squeezing all of the feeling out of it," I retorted, gesturing to the love-struck Louise, "She drank the wine you laced with love potion that was meant for Guiche. "

"Is this true, Montmorency?" asked Guiche, rather stunned by all of the insinuations being thrown around.

"Well, I was just worried that some girl was going to snatch you away again!" the curly blonde replied, but then she paled and clamped her hands over her mouth, "Uh…I mean…that is…"

Guiche looked like he wanted to embrace the girl and reassure her that she didn't need such things. He already had a rose in hand and a charming smile on his face. However, I cut him off and stepped into the room, presenting Louise to her while pointing at the chemistry set sitting on a nearby table, "Now that you admit you made it, start on the antidote."

"Look, it'll wear off eventually!" Montmorency cried, looking affronted but more afraid that she would get into trouble now that she had been found out.

"When?"

"A few weeks…months…a year at most. Maybe?"

Guiche flinched, looking less charmed at what his girlfriend was trying to do and a whole lot more alarmed. For his best interest, he had better avoid anything his girlfriend made him for the rest of their relationship. I mean, this was mind rape! Montmorency was actually planning on feeding Guiche that potion to turn him into her slave! Now I could see just why love potions had been outlawed by the monarchy.

"Not good enough," I frowned. My temperament was not helped by the fact that the tips of my fingers were beginning to go numb from Louise's cuddling. "Cure. Now. Chop-chop."

"I can't!" the blonde girl retorted, looking less afraid and angrier at how I was pressing her to do what I wanted. "I don't have the ingredients to make one!"

"Then get them!" I growled.

"It's not that easy!" she shouted back, closer to losing her temper.

I frowned and decided to screw the diplomatic approach. It was time for the good old mafia approach! Slipping my arm out of Louise's grip with a disappointed whine, I slapped the O-Driver to my waist and inserted three pre-selected Medals into place. I grabbed the O-Scanner and swiped it across the buckle. "Henshin!"

"**KUWAGATA!**"

"**KUJAKU!**"

"**WANI!**"

The green, red, and orange images fused together and impacted against me, forming my armour. I was donned in the most intimidating version of OOO that I could think of and slowly advanced on the spoiled girl. Electricity crackled from my horns, flames flicked on my arms, and growling came from my footsteps as I walked. Montmorency paled and instantly began backing away, looking for anything she could hide herself with, not once considering using her magic to try and defend herself. Maybe she figured that since Guiche couldn't win against me, she stood no chance.

"Oh, I think you can pull it off," I growled, giving off a pulse of the elements my armour controlled.

The curly-haired girl squeaked in fear and dove behind Guiche, looking for some kind of protection from her boyfriend. Of course, the boy didn't seem to be much better as he gulped audibly with fear at the sight of my newest configuration.

"Ah…Sir Matthew?" he sputtered out. "Let's not be hasty…"

"Oh, I'm all for being hasty," I growled. "Love potions are forbidden by law. Do you realise how much trouble your girlfriend could be in if she doesn't take responsibility by making the antidote?"

"Uh…" Guiche gulped. Well, it seemed he did know after all. A squeak from the Water Mage told me that she knew as well. A bead of sweat trailed down Guiche's face as he laughed nervously, "Well, then I suppose we can go and get what she needs."

"Some boyfriend you are," Montmorency growled as she stepped out from behind the playboy, having no choice but to face her fate.

* * *

><p>After some negotiating, with Louise showing jealousy towards Montmorency for talking to me, the blonde finally agreed to help out. We were going to have to leave in the morning. We would be heading to a place called the Lagdorian Lake. It was apparently an important place where Water Mages would enter a pact with something called The Spirit of Water. The ingredient we would need was called the Water Spirit's Tear which would have to negotiate to get from the Spirit of Water. I could deal with that. However, the departure time meant that I would need to keep my guard up around Louise. If I slept there was no way I could defend myself and she looked like a lioness ready to pounce. I thought about camping out but she would find me, somehow. I could already picture her ordering me to sleep with her or take advantage of her.<p>

That love potion was strong stuff.

* * *

><p>Louise was snuggling up against me after pulling me into bed with her. OK, maybe under normal circumstances I would've enjoyed having a girl all over me but this was starting to really freak me out.<p>

At least she wasn't ordering me to make out with her or something. That's just twelve different kinds of awkward.

It didn't stop her from getting grabby though.

I didn't get much sleep

* * *

><p>We travelled by horse to the Lagdorian Lake which was on the border between Gallia and Tristain. It took us half a day to get there and Montmorency said she could do it alone, but Guiche didn't want to leave her alone and I frankly didn't want to deal with Louise trying to seduce me some more or leave her alone to spread rumours about our 'relationship' when I wasn't there to defend myself. She had already tried to knit me a sweater for the trip but it was only a collar and she would have made me wear it if I didn't convince her that it would make a better present for after we finished our mission. So in the end, it was a group of four on three horses that travelled out to the lake to get the Water Spirit's Tear that we needed to make the antidote to the love potion.<p>

The area around the Lagdorian Lake wasn't what I expected though. Upon arriving in the area, we found that the lake was much larger than Montmorency remembered and the nearby town had been flooded, the tops of the tallest buildings being the only things visible along with a few trees. All in all, the image didn't inspire a lot of confidence in me and caused some concern in the girl.

"Something's wrong," Montmorency frowned, taking in the sight. "The Water Spirit must be angry to be doing something like this."

"When it rains, it pours," I sighed. It just figured. Why couldn't anything be easy? The one time we need to go and meet the being which could give us the material needed to help Louise, something has been pissing it off and making it that much harder for us to get what we needed. Was I just cursed or something to have to live through risky adventures over and over again?

"We'll stay at the edge of the lake until sunset," Montmorency reported, pushing her horse forward. "The Watar Spirit only comes out then."

"Right," I sighed, smacking Louise's hand away from where she was trying to sneak it under my shirt. She had been getting pretty frisky when she thought she could get away with it. It was like dealing with Kirche all over again, only this one broke out into tears when I tried to let her down gently.

* * *

><p>As we waited, boredom set in and Louise had fallen asleep with her head in my lap. Idly, I was looking through my collection of Core Medals. Guiche and Montmorency were off nearby no doubt the male trying to flirt with the girl. Derflinger was propped against the tree I was sitting under as he spoke, "You know, Partner, normally guys would love a girl to be all over them."<p>

"Yeah, _normally_," I retorted, emphasizing my statement at the end. I have to admit that if someone as cute as Louise had come up to me, confessing her love, I would be thrilled. But this Louise, the way she was always trying to steal a kiss, cuddle, or get into my pants was just plain scary. I think I preferred the old Louise. That at least would be natural. "Derf, if I played along then I would just be hurting her. She's not acting on her own free will. It's all the love potion's fault. If we went too far, then it would be…" Rape. Yes, even if Louise would be initiating it under the influence of the love potion, it would not be her consent and I didn't want to do that to someone I considered a friend.

Scarily enough, Louise was actually acting worse than Kirche. At least Kirche knew boundaries, as blurry as they were to her. Louise on the other hand didn't seem to have any restraint. Either the potion was putting her up to it or she thought that was how relationships between men and women went behind closed doors. If it was the latter, I feared for any future lover she had.

Looking up, I spotted the blonde pair in the throes of yet another argument with the girl giving the boy a severe tongue lashing. I watched as Guiche and Montmorency talked/argued with each other over the recent events and shook my head. The blame was split between the two of them in my opinion. If Guiche had been a little bit more faithful then Montmorency wouldn't have made a love potion. Of course, Montmorency shouldn't have made one in the first place considering that it was an illegal substance. I didn't know what the punishment for it was here but in my world it was severe since I know considered love potions as something like date rape drugs.

The argument winded down and I watched the two blondes part ways with Guiche coming over to my tree before planting himself next to me.

"Trouble in paradise?" I asked, not looking up from my Core Medals.

"Indeed," Guiche sighed. He glanced at my Medal Book while I was polishing the Kamakiri Medal to get off any dust that was on it. "So, these coins are what remained of an ancient kingdom?" I glanced up at his curious face. He had heard about where my Medals came from? Well, I hadn't been working hard to keep it a secret and I suppose rumours spread quickly in a school.

"Yes, they are," I confirmed, looking back down. "They may not look much but they can be dangerous in the wrong hands." I mean I saw what they could do in the TV series. That thing Uva turned into when all of the Core Medals were in his body would've caused the end of the world.

"So I've heard," Guiche nodded. "Ah…desire."

"You know, speaking of desire if you just had more self-control we wouldn't be in this mess," I said, referring to Louise who purred and giggled in her sleep. OK, what was she dreaming about?

"But I can't help it!" whined Guiche. "It's not in my nature to ignore beautiful girls!"

"Noticing them is one thing," I argued, "But going behind your girlfriend's back to set up dates with them isn't exactly the smartest thing." Needless to say, I didn't think Guiche was actually very intelligent to begin with. He was like the bad nobles I had met who had their heads up their asses, thinking they could do whatever they want. To be blunt, Guiche was like a toned-down version of Mott but at the very least Guiche was young and still had some time to learn about right and wrong. I may not have been in any relationships, but even I knew how to use my head and not let my hormones take over.

"You are…probably right," Guiche sighed. Egad, the boy could be taught and it only took his near mental enslavement to do it.

"Just make sure next time you try to do something stupid, nobody else gets dragged in," I told him, setting down the Kamakiri Medal for the Kame Medal.

I watched as the sun was starting to set. It was almost time for us to begin. I didn't know much about this Water Spirit but by the way Montmorency was acting I bet this Water Spirit might be one pretty tough customer. She looked pretty nervous too. Obviously this was something that one didn't want to mess with unless they were brave, stupid, or just suicidal. Of course, someone probably was if the Water Spirit had gotten so pissed off that it started flooding the surrounding landscape.

I looked down at my collection of Core Medals. Would I need them in case things got a little out of hand? Would they be able to compare to an elemental spirit?

Thankfully, sunset eventually came and Montmorency got to work on summoning the Water Spirit. Retrieving her orange frog Robin from a pack, she pricked her finger and placed a drop of blood on its back. She whispered some orders to it which I didn't hear since I was setting Louise on the ground by a tree while she slept. By the time I reached Montmorency and Guiche, Robin had already leaped into the water in search of the Water Spirit.

"If Robin can find the Water Spirit, she'll bring it here," Montmorency explained as I drew close. "Once the Water Spirit appears we can claim a Tear."

"You do know how to negotiate with this thing, right?" I asked. "I mean, you've met it before."

"I only met it once as a child," the curly blonde replied. "However, from what I know the Water Spirit is usually benign and reasonable so it shouldn't be too hard to ask for the Tear," she shot me a baleful look. "And I don't want you to try your commoner brutality here! If we anger the Water Spirit, it could mean our lives!"

"I'm not stupid you know," I frowned. "Just because I can fight without magic doesn't mean I'm an idiot."

Montmorency continued to frown at me, but I just glared back at her. Honestly, she really couldn't take the high ground on me as a noble since she was breaking the law by making that love potion. If I wanted to, I could turn her into the authorities and completely destroy her good name depending on the severity of crimes involving love potions. Of course, this apparently hasn't dawned on her completely since being confronted with it she seemed to be treating it like being caught in a schoolyard mischief case.

It just made me dislike her more.

Any retort either of us would have made was immediately cut off when the sound of crashing water erupted from the lake. Looking out into the water, we saw that a pillar of clear and crystal water had erupted from the depths as if it were a geyser. It certainly caught our attention and kept us from arguing anyway.

"I take it your frog found the Water Spirit," I blinked as I watched.

On my back, Derflinger wriggled himself out of his sheathe to see what was going on, "Well well, it's been a while."

Ignoring Derflinger's comment, I watched as Montmorency stepped to the shoreline and spread her arms wide in front of the gushing geyser of water, "I am Montmorency Margarita le Fere de Montmorency. I am a Water Mage of a family which you have contracted with. If you recognize my blood, answer to me in a manner we can understand!"

I was slightly afraid that rather than a request her words sounding like an order would offend the Water Spirit, but by fears seemed unfounded. The geyser of water promptly shifted shape, taking the form of a naked Montmorency, granted one that was made of water and stood several feet taller than any of us. The Water Mage seemed to take the image in stride while I myself tried not to get distracted. Guiche just seemed to go into a daze, which was actually helpful in this case since I doubted the Water Spirit wanted him trying to woo it for its female appearance.

Towering above us, the Water Spirit spoke, "_I remember you, little thing._" A light flared in its chest as it spoke. Its facial features didn't move an inch, obviously there for decorating purposes. "_I remember the water that runs in your veins._"

As much as this event reached a whole new level of weird for me, I managed to keep my mouth shut while Montmorency did her thing.

"Oh great Water Spirit," she spoke. "I have a favour to ask of your."

"_Favour?_"

"I ask of you, please share a portion of your body with me," he curly blonde asked, sounding almost polite to my ears.

"_I refuse, you little thing_," the Spirit bluntly denied.

Oh the negotiations were not going well. I hope Montmorency would be able to convince the Water Spirit that we really needed the Tear, because as far as I was concerned, it was a matter of life or death at this point. Hopefully her noble upbringing as well as her family's knowledge of the Water Spirit would help her make a good negotiation.

"Really? Well, I guess we tried. No shame in that."

You've got to be kidding me.

"Jeez," I sighed, pushing past Montmorency just as she tried to turn around and walk away. "Can't you nobles do anything that requires a little bit of effort?"

Ignoring her squawk of outrage, I approached the shoreline and stared up at the Water Spirit who seemed to have noticed my approach. Now, I would be the first to admit that I had absolutely no clue as to how to deal with supernatural entities, but I had seen enough anime, movies, and whatnot to at least be able to give it a try. So, I kneeled down on one knee with my right fist planted on the dirt and the other across my leg while my head was bowed down reverently.

"Great Water Spirit," I spoke loudly and hopefully without the nervousness which I was feeling in my voice. "Is there no task we can accomplish or gift we can give to earn your Tear? If there is, I Matthew MacGregor, heir of the Multi-King shall strive to accomplish it!"

Well, if there was ever a time to cash in on that rumour about be being a descendant of the first OOO, might as well use it now. I figured flattering the Water Spirit by making it think even royalty would bow to it would increase our chances of getting the Tear.

"Multi-King?" Montmorency blinked. "Who's that?"

"_Multi-King,_" the Water Spirit echoed. "_I have heard of that man._"

Wait…what?

"You have?" I blinked, looking up at the Water Spirit. This was surprising. How could the Water Spirit have heard of the original OOO?

"_Show me proof,_" the Spirit demanded of me.

Proof? Well, the only thing I had was my O-Driver and Core Medals but if that king was as greedy as I thought, having them would be proof enough. Since she was a water elemental, maybe she would respond better if I used the blue Combo? Nah, that was too risky. I'd change back to hear her task only to pass out. It wouldn't exactly be the most positive of images. I should just stick to the basic. So I stood up before strapping on the O-Driver in preparation to use. I then slotted the proper Medals in before I swiped them with the O-Scanner.

"Henshin!"

"**TAKA!**"

"**TORA**"

"**BATTA!**"

"**TA-TO-BA TATOBA TA-TO-BA!**"

I appeared as OOO TaToBa Combo before the Water Spirit. The sight of me in the armour seemed to have moved it into silence, but I could feel it examining me from head to toe. I was impatient though, the burning question of just how the Water Spirit knew about the original OOO just begging to be asked. How could she have found out about him? He was just a made up character for a television series! Still, I had to wait for the Water Spirit to finish examining me.

"_You are indeed connected to the one called the Multi-King,_" the Water Spirit finally spoke. "_Very well. As I had increased my waters, I have been assaulted by members of your kind._" I heard Montmorency gasp and even heard Guiche begin whispering to her, obviously having been snapped out of his stupor at the image of a giant naked Montmorency.

"If we stop them, will you share a portion of your body with us?" I asked, wanting to hear the Spirit's agreement.

"_I will,_" the being of water agreed.

"Then it will be done," I nodded.

Satisfied, the Water Spirit collapsed into the flooded lake waters again, waiting for us to complete the task given to us. I didn't dare try to catch its attention again until we did what we were told. After I undid my transformation, Montmorency decided to confront me.

"How could you just agree to something so suddenly?-!" Montmorency cried, stomping over to me. "I hate fighting! "

"Unless you'd rather I turn you into the school authorities, you will help us with this!" I snapped, really losing my patience with the spoiled noble. "I'm sure spending some time in prison is _so _much more preferable than spending one night taking out a bunch of thugs."

"ERK!" Montmorency gulped, freezing on the spot. Either the thoughts of prison or what her family would do to her if they found out what she did causing her to freeze. She knew I had her and she had absolutely no leverage. Even though she could brew the antidote, so could plenty of the other students and teachers at the school. This was her only chance to get out of trouble.

* * *

><p><em>The small group of would-be spiritual defenders set up a small camp in the woods, suitably covered by the tree line while still able to watch the shores of the flooded lake to see if or when any attackers would appear. Louise was still sleeping while Matthew, Guiche, and Montmorency were waiting nearby in the darkness. Matthew was out of his armour which allowed them to be somewhat more subtle while they kept hidden.<em>

"_So, what is the Multi-King?" Montmorency asked. "The Water Spirit seemed interested in the name."_

"_Montmorency, haven't you heard about it at all?" Guiche questioned. He was sure that his love interest would have heard the rumours. Heck, he had heard it after that duel between Matthew and that Germanian fellow a while ago. Kirche's mother had been quite happy to brag to anyone who would listen about the ancestry of her 'future son-in-law', and Guiche had been willing to pay very close attention to what the woman did that day._

"_And you have?" Montmorency looked at him. "So why haven't you told me?"_

"_Well…I didn't think you'd be interested," he tried to save himself. He looked to Matthew, begging for help._

"_OK, I'll sum it up for you," the other boy sighed. "800 years ago a greedy king desired power, but not just any old power, but the power of a god to take over the world. So, he had alchemists create these." He reached to his side and pulled out a small black book which he opened to reveal a collection of coloured coins. "The Core Medals. These Core Medals possessed great power and he had tried to use them all at once. However, as a result, he suffered the consequences of his own greedy desires and was turned to stone while the Core Medals were sealed within his coffin-like body. After a while the Core Medals were scattered and I came across them. The belt to invoke their power is also an artefact that belonged to the king and only those with his bloodline can use it."_

"_Wait…" Montmorency gasped. Her face began to go pale as the implications of Matthew's confession began to hit her. "So that means…you're really of noble blood?-! Not just noble, but royal blood!"_

_Guiche nodded, remembering his own reaction to the news. Of course he was pretty shocked, but Lady Zerbst's… 'charismatic' presence kept him suitably distracted until he was able to deal with it. Still, Guiche had felt that so bad after he lost to Matthew in their duel when they had first met._

"_But…but…but if you're a noble, why do you kowtow to Louise the Zero?" Montmorency gasped, staring at Matthew with wide eyes._

"_I don't consider myself a noble and I wasn't raised as one," Matthew replied, setting his Medals away. "Besides, I still have doubts as to how much of a relation there is between us. Let's be honest, would you want to admit being related to a man who tried to usurp the power of God and try to take over the world for his own malicious goals?"_

"_Well, if you put it that way…" Guiche pondered. If he had a relative who did such a blasphemous and evil thing, he wouldn't be so quick to claim the man as a blood relation either. "So you likely didn't know you were related until you used the Medals for the first time?"_

"_Bingo," Matthew nodded. "Still, I don't consider myself royalty. Not after generations of living like a normal person. Still don't want to considering just how much of a lunatic the guy was."_

"_Makes sense I guess," Montmorency sighed. _

"_But it wasn't completely his fault. His mind was warped by his desires. The Core Medals just made them stronger until he could think of nothing else but his desires. Was he right to try to become a living god? No, of course not. But that does not deny the fact that desire does influence progress," Matthew continued._

"_It does?" asked Guiche, finding himself fascinated. After al, desire was one of the staples of his life._

"_Sure it does," the former commoner nodded. "I mean, all of the inventions discovered up until this point were made by people who desired to make things easier, right? All magical discoveries were made by people who desired to advance magic wasn't it?"_

"_Hm, that's right," Montmorency pondered. "I guess desire did play a role in that."_

"_Munyaaaa…." Louise's soft yawn cut into the conversation, making the three protectors turn to look at her. She had her eyes open drowsily as she made her way towards the group. Like a homing beacon, she went right for Matthew before crawling into his lap, much to his discomfort. The pinkette mumbled before she snuggled closer before sighing in satisfaction._

"_On the other hand, desire left rampant can cause problems," Matthew sighed, looking at the two blondes with emotionless eyes. "Situations like this if I must be so honest."_

_Both Montmorency and Guiche sweatdropped, knowing it was a jab at the both of them._

* * *

><p>The two moons of this world were hanging high in the sky as we waited for whoever was attacking the Water Spirit to appear. We waited in the woods, hoping to use the cover as a means of hiding ourselves from whoever was responsible.<p>

"So, how would one attack the Water Spirit anyway?" I asked. "I mean, is there a spell we can recognize being used so we can know if the attackers are nearby?"

"Likely a wind spell," Guiche replied in a hushed tone. "One that would create a pocket of air around the user and whoever is with them so they can walk along the bottom of the lake. It could be noticeable from the sudden shift in the breeze. It's not subtle."

"That's right," Montmorency nodded. "It's not an easy spell to use, so the user would have to be a high level mage. Whoever their accomplices are would likely have to be strong too if they think they have a chance of harming the Water Spirit."

"So they won't be common thugs then," I frowned. "Great."

"Matthew!" Louise whined, tugging on my arm from where she and I were hiding behind a thick tree. "Why are you talking to Montmorency more than you are me?-!"

"It's because we're strategizing," I sighed, trying not to lose my temper. She's been doped up, she's not herself, she's been doped up. She's not herself… "We have to be ready for these people attacking the Water Spirit."

"But I don't need some silly antidote!" Louise cried. "I really do love you Matthew!" she then inhaled deeply to make her next words, "I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU I LOVE-MPH!"

"Shhhh!" I hissed clapping my hand over Louise's mouth. "We don't want to get busted by these guys! Do you want to…_stop kissing my palm!_" My hissing became more frantic as I felt Louise's lips against my hand.

"Well well," Montmorency giggled. "Do I know how to make a love potion or what?"

"It's nothing to be proud of!" I snapped.

"Quiet!" Guiche hissed. "I see someone!"

Our magical school hijinks stopped and we turned to see what had captured Guiche's attention. Sure enough, there were two cloaked figures standing at the edge of the water. One was considerably taller than the other with the shorter holding a crooked cane. The shorter one was waving her staff, obviously preparing to use a magic spell, likely the one Guiche mentioned.

"She's beginning her spell," Montmorency observed before looking to her boyfriend. "Well don't just stand there! Go get them!"

"R-right," the blonde gulped. Steeling himself and drawing his rose-tipped wand, he shuffled off to find a good position to fight in.

I wasn't idle either as I began to travel through the bushes, trying not to make too much noise. Taking my Medal Book, I began to look for the Taka, Tora, and Batta Medals. I could switch out later once I knew what the two were capable of, but a balanced form was all that I would need at the moment. All I needed now was an opening to transform and I could take the battle to them.

"_Earth, the Great Mother! Answer my words and become a living wall!"_

I glanced to where I heard Guiche's voice and noticed a pillar of earth lunging towards the pair. The shorter of the two stopped her chanting and waved their wand, creating a blast of wind which shattered the pillar. Guiche didn't let the failure stop him though as he created more pillars to try and outnumber the two. However, it seemed both were prepared as the Wind Mage continued using the wind spells while the taller mage began shooting blasts of fire which destroyed the pillars.

"Okay, wind and fire. I can deal with that," I nodded to myself. Abandoning my search for the TaToBa Combo, I instead grabbed a different set of Medals. Taking them out, I popped them into my Driver and locked it in placed. Standing up, I grabbed the O-Scanner and swiped it across with the familiar chiming echoing the approaching change.

"Henshin!"

"**SHACHI!**"

"**KUJAKU!**"

"**ZOU!**"

Transformation complete with my blue/red/grey form, I charged out of the woods and towards the fighting mages, hoping that I would be able to catch them by surprise. Unfortunately, the rustling bushes announced my presence and the taller mage shot a fireball at me in order to stop me. A whale's cry echoed in my ears before I felt the urge to spit, which I did. Rather than mess up the inside of the helmet though, a stream of highly pressurized water surged out of my mouth and through the mouth plate and straight into the fireball, dousing it. The shorter mage took notice of me when the taller failed to take me down and to my surprise, shot ice instead of wind at me. Still, I could deal with it as I raised the Taja Spinner and unleashed several fireballs to strike the ice crystals out of the air, rendering them puddles on the grass.

"Let's shake things up a bit!" I shouted, stomping my foot onto the ground. The Zou Medal activated and caused a tremor, making both mages lose their balance and fall backwards. I didn't hesitate as I charged at the pair. Grabbing both by the front of their cloaks, I lifted them up roughly while using the force to make them drop their wands. However, the force of the lifting also dislodged their hoods, revealing heads of blue or red hair which were definitely familiar.

"Kirche? Tabitha?" I blinked.

"Darling?" Kirche gasped.

Tabitha blinked.

"Tabitha? Kirche?' Guiche gasped.

"Guiche?"

"Matthew!" cried Louise, running out from the forest.

"Louise!" Montmorency cried, chasing the pinkette.

"Montmorency…" I sighed.

"Kirche? Tabitha?" the blonde blinked, spotting my two captives.

"Louise?" asked Kirche, seeing the pinkette.

"Derflinger!" cried out the sword. He didn't want to be left out.

"My beloved Matthew!" Louise sighed, hugging my side.

"Wait, hands off Valliere! He mine!" Kirche cried, beginning to struggle. "Darling, let me down so I can save you!"

"Uhh…" I blinked. "Only if you explain just what the heck you're doing here."

"Deal! Now let me protect you!"

* * *

><p>"So she's under the influence of a love potion," Kirche concluded from the story. Louise was once again in my lap and I was out of my armor. She was snuggled up against me, sighing happily. We had convened in a circle at the edge of the lake so we could get some answers as to just what the heck was going on. "That makes sense. No wonder Montmorency is here too. She doesn't want to get into trouble."<p>

"That's how it is," I sighed. "So, what's your story? Why have you been attacking the Water Spirit?"

"I came to help Tabitha," said Kirche. "Her…family wanted her to deal with the Water Spirit. It's been flooding the land and doing a lot of damage."

"Well, that makes sense I suppose," I nodded. "I figured someone would be upset with all of the houses being flooded. Not sure if attacking a massive elemental spirit is the way to go though."

"It was what Tabitha was told to do," Kirche shrugged. "That aside…move over Louise! I want a spot on Darling's lap!"

"No!" Louise cried, clutching me tightly. "I saw him first!"

"But I was after him first!" Kirche huffed, drawing closer. She promptly invaded my lap, pushing Louise onto my right leg while she took my left. Both girls slapped at each other childishly while pressing themselves against my torso at the same time. It was a…unique experience to say the least and one I'll certainly remember.

"Truly an inspirational sight," Guiche nodded at us solemnly, but Montmorency elbowed him in the gut, making him cringe.

"Now…come on girls," I cringed, desperately hoping this would end up in a catfight with me caught in the middle. "Now, the Water Spirit is flooding the land because it's angry about something, right? Why don't we see if we can appease it? That way Tabitha's done her job and we can get the Tear that we need."

"Can't they do that while I stay here?" asked Louise with a pout.

"Yes, I'm quite comfortable where I am," Kirche purred, pressing her cheek against mine.

I rubbed my temples. The god that had put me into this situation must be laughing their ass off right now. Under different circumstances I may have liked the attention but we had a crisis on our hands. We needed that Water Spirit's Tear to make the antidote for Louise. "Montmorency, please summon the Water Spirit so we can get out of here."

* * *

><p>Montmorency quickly sent Robin out to find the Water Spirit, which appeared quickly, once again in the form of a giant naked Montmorency. Once it was fully summoned, I stepped forward to speak to it since it had made its initial request of me.<p>

"Great Water Spirit," I called out. "We have stopped the attackers. However, I fear there will be more. The flooding of your waters have made the humans believe there is no other course of action to save their homes. If you would return your waters to normal, the attacks will stop."

"_I will not,_" the Water Spirit replied. "_A precious treasure was stolen from me some time ago. I raise the waters so to engulf the world and that one day my treasure will be returned to me._"

The people around me gasped, obviously getting a grasp of the situation like I did. No wonder the Water Spirit was pissed enough to flood its lake. You don't just go and steal something from a supernatural entity and expect to get away with it. The always find you and exact swift vengeance. Unfortunately, a lot of innocent people can get caught up in the middle along the way. Whoever stole the Water Spirit's treasure had to be a right first-class asshole. I mean, did he honestly think that he could get away with it?

"So… if your treasure is returned then you'll let the water return to normal?" I asked.

"_Yes._"

Okay, a course of action came into my head. It was stupid, likely risky, and a whole lot of trouble asking to come at me, but this was for the people who lived around the area who had been forced from their homes thanks to the lake flooding. Besides, Tabitha would be in a lot of trouble if she didn't do anything about the Water Spirit's rage. I really didn't have much of an alternate source of action to stopping the destruction so what came next was born out of sheer desperation to help my friends.

"Water Spirit, if you allow the waters to return to normal, I promise as the heir of the Multi-King that I will find your treasure and return it to you one day!"

"What?-!"

"Darling!"

"…!"

"Are you nuts!-?"

"So heroic!"

If my offer of assistance was shocking enough for the group, the Spirit's answer was even more so, "_I accept._"

"WHAT?-!"

"_The tales I have heard of the Multi-King speak of a man who can control the elements, wield the power to fight armies, and defy gods,_" the Spirit spoke. "_Given the fact that you are a Gandalfr, ones who have kept promises to me in the past and I feel confident that you will keep your word._" I sighed in a measure of relief, but also felt like a shackle had been added to my leg at the same time. "_You have already proven yourself trustworthy by stopping the attacks. I shall now reward you._"

At the lakefront in front of us, a small blue potion jar rose up, held shut by a blue crystal stopped. It hovered above the surface of the water before moving towards us and landing in Montmorency's hands. I wondered where it had gotten the vial, but then remembered it probably had dozens of them under the water from all of the flooded houses.

"Thank you Water Spirit," I nodded to the elemental being. "Now what is this treasure which has been stolen and who took it from you?"

"_It is called the Ring of Andvari,_" the Water spirit explained. An orb of water detached from its body and hovered towards us before taking the shape of a simple round ring with a square gemstone embedded in the centre. A unique design, but knowing what colour it was would have been nice. "_It holds the ability to give a semblance of life to those who have died._"

…okay, now I figured out why the Water Spirit wanted to hold onto it. That was a pretty rare ability right there.

"_I do not know the man who stole it, only the fact that he was called Cromwell,_" the Spirit continued, letting the image of the ring collapse into the water.

"Cromwell," I muttered, committing the name to memory. "Very well. Then if you let the waters return to normal Water Spirit, I will go and find the ring and return it to you."

"_I will be waiting, new Multi-King,_" With that, the Water Spirit's form dissolved and vanished into the lake waters once again.

I had pretty much contracted myself into the service of the Water Spirit and there was a chance I may not be able to get the ring back. However, with the name 'Cromwell' I had a lead and I would get the ring back. I wasn't about to break my promise to a Water Spirit who had pretty much paid me in advance. That would be bad and if she got mad enough to flood this entire village then if I did break my promise—which I didn't plan on doing—then she would probably do something way worse. I didn't want to think about it. What I did want to think about now was getting Louise back to normal.

I was just happy that Louise would be back to normal soon.

* * *

><p>"YOU DOG!"<p>

"WAGH!"

You know, a doped up Louise didn't seem so bad anymore…

We returned to the academy where Montmorency brewed the antidote in return for us not telling anyone what she did. It didn't take too long and I managed to convince Louise to take it back in her room. It worked immediately since she lost that lovesick look in her eyes, but the bad news was that she remembered everything she did while under the potion's influence.

"I didn't even do anything to you!" I cried, dodging another strike of the riding crop. "I was able to tell right away that something was wrong!"

"I debased myself! I humiliated myself!" Louise screeched, well beyond any reasoning. "My reputation! My status! I'll never be able to show my face outside of this room again!"

"Oh come on! Everyone knew it was a love potion! No one thinks it was really you!"

"They still saw me! They saw my shameless actions! The embarrassment! The humiliation! ARGH!"

The enraged pinkette continued to chase me fore several more minutes before a suitable distraction managed to save my hide. It came in the form of the window opening, incidentally blowing out the candles in the room. After that, a female figure in white concealed by a dark clock hovered up to the window frame before stepping daintily inside.

"W-who are you?" Louise gasped.

"As rowdy as ever, Louise Francoise," the lady smiled. Reaching up, she removed the hood to reveal a familiar face and head of lavender hair.

"Princess Henrietta?" I blinked. Boy, talk about a surprise.

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, so you guys saw the confirmation of the Birth Rider System in this world. It's not going to play much of a role immediately, but once the time comes someone's going to get a level in badass.


	11. Chapter 11

I do not own Kamen Rider OOO or Familiar of Zero. I am merely writing this for my own personal enjoyment and I hope you all enjoy it to.

**Familiar of ZerOOO**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**CHAPTER 11: The Letter, The Fiancé, and the Conspiracy**

I politely worked at relighting all of the lamps and candles in the room which Louise's unexpected guest had put out with her window entrance. What made the guest so irregular besides the lateness of the night was the fact that the guest was none other than Princess Henrietta herself. While I was working on the candles, Henrietta was seated on the bed with Louise kneeling respectably in front of her on the floor.

"I'm sorry for bothering you so late like I am…" Henrietta grimaced.

"Think nothing of it, Princess!" Louise insisted. "I'm always ready to serve in any way I can."

Henrietta smiled, but if I had to really say so, it wasn't a very broad smile at all. Whatever had brought the member of royalty to Louise's room was likely something that was weighing heavily on her mind.

"Then I have a request that I can only entrust with you and must be carried out quickly and with the utmost secrecy."

I blew out a match after I lit the last of the lamps in the room. So Henrietta wanted us to go on a secret mission? Potentially serious trouble didn't even begin to describe the can of worms we may be getting into. I brought some chairs from the tea table for Louise and I to sit on so we wouldn't be uncomfortable. Louise wordlessly took one for herself while I took my own.

"I have decided to enter a marriage with the ruler of Germania," the princess spoke, looking solemn.

"What?-!" Louise cried, looking up. "How could you consider marrying into such a savage, stuck-up-!"

"It can't be helped," Henrietta interjected, shaking her head. "Tristain is a small country and in order to protect it we need to have a strong alliance with a neighbouring country such as Germania." Looking to the ground, she looked absolutely miserable. "For my country, I am happy to make such a sacrifice…"

"I hear a but coming…" I said, knowing that there was some serious hesitation in her voice. She obviously didn't want to marry Germania's leader, but knew she had to lest her country be put at risk.

Henrietta gently bit her lip and stood up for the bed, walking towards the window so she could admire the night time scenery, "Before I do, there is something I must ask you to do for me."

"Anything Princess!" Louise declared. "Simply ask and it shall be done!"

"It is hard for me to say…"

"You're in love with someone else, aren't you?" I guessed. It seemed pretty obvious that she didn't want to marry the Germanian King but she had to do it for the people. Royalty didn't really have much freedom due to their responsibilities. Henrietta was pretty much sacrificing her happiness for the people. It was a strong gesture but I knew, deep down, that Henrietta loved someone else.

How did I know? I think it was her eyes. I could somehow tell that her heart wasn't entirely into the idea of marrying the Germanian King even if she had the resolve. She had to steel her heart.

"Yes, I am," said Henrietta, "My beloved is Prince Wales of Albion."

I wasn't really familiar with the name 'Albion'. Hadn't had much time to learn about the geography of this place to be honest. I might need to rectify that later. Louise seemed to know about the name though as she gasped in recognition at it.

"What I require you to go to Albion for is to retrieve a letter that I had written to Prince Wales," Henrietta continued. "With the political turmoil the country is in at the moment, if the contents of my letter were to become known then the marriage proposal with Germania wouldn't be worth the paper it was printed on."

"Political turmoil?" I asked, looking to Louise.

"I had heard recently that the nobles of Albion had begun rebelling against the royal family and the government is on the brink of collapse," Louise explained to me.

"Oh," I blinked. You know, you'd think one would hear about something like that pretty fast, even if you weren't from the country. How'd I miss news like that? I looked back to Henrietta, "Is that part of the reason why you had us investigate rumours of corrupt nobles? Because if there were too many it may end up being another situation like Albion?"

"That was…part of my reasons," Henrietta nodded. "Should the rebels find that letter, they will no doubt use it to keep the marriage from happening so that Tristain will remain alone and be unable to offer any superior military strength for itself or for its allies."

I could already see how a letter could do that much. Henrietta had likely written a love letter to Wales thinking it would be safe. But after news came that the battles were not going well for the royal family, she feared that if the rebels got it they'd use the information in their plans to conquer Albion or keep Tristain alone for a future campaign. It would potentially damage her reputation as well, making it difficult for any kind of suitor to be found for any kind of marriage alliance. I could see just why Henrietta wanted that letter back so badly.

"I'm sorry for having to ask this," Henrietta spoke, sounding a little choked up. Obviously she felt very ashamed for having to ask something so drastic of her best friend. "But there is no one else I can trust with such a sensitive task and…"

"Please don't regret it, Princess!" Louise replied, dashing to her friend's side and kneeling. "It's a great honour for me to accept this task! Please don't worry about a thing!"

I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair content to watch for the moment. It seemed to me that the Princess truly didn't know who she could trust if she had to ask Louise to help her. Frankly, I didn't blame her. She was probably slightly paranoid over the thought of corrupt nobles using others to further their own careers, fatten their wallets, and generally take advantage of. Hearing that the rumours were in fact true likely made it worse for her. Who else could she trust but a childhood friend who would always be loyal and honest with her?

In the midst of my thoughts, I heard the door creak. I put my hand on Louise's shoulder and put a finger to my lips, a signal to be quiet. I gestured towards the door and cupped my hand around my ear. It was supposed to indicate that someone was listening in. Louise looked annoyed at being interrupted but seemed to understand my signals. Henrietta just blinked in confusion. I then turned to the door and walked towards it as silently as I could while picking up Derflinger, slowly drawing him out of his sheathe. I didn't make a sound as I reached forward and swung the door open.

"GAH!" Guiche cried out as he fell through the doorway and fell flat on his face at my feet.

"Guiche, what the hell are you doing?" I questioned, debating whether or not to use Derflinger to threaten him. The blonde was already frightened of me since our duel, being extra cautious since then. If he had been eavesdropping, then that meant that he probably heard too much already. Still, just why was he in the girls' tower so late? Don't tell me he was trying to woo Montmorency again? We had just gotten back from having to get the Water Spirit's Tear only that morning for crying out loud!

"I was…passing by when I heard the story," he grimaced as he pulled himself up. Zeroing in on Henrietta, he strode over to her confidentially before kneeling before her. "Princess, please allow I, Guiche de Gramont to assist in this mission."

"Rrrrr!" Louise growled, irritated at the playboy's eavesdropping. Well, that and the fact that he was trying to horn in on something the Princess had set out solely for Louise.

"Gramont?" Henrietta blinked, apparently familiar with the name. "Ah, are you perhaps Marshal Gramont's-?

"My father," Guiche confirmed. Apparently his father was someone high up in the government if Henrietta would know of him.

"Ah, then you would aid me as well?" asked Henrietta, seemingly happy with the development.

"I would be delighted to Your Majesty," Guiche nodded, acting the most suave as I have ever seen him act. Well, for a princess it was probably worth the effort.

"Excellent," Henrietta beamed, looking like some weight was rising off of her shoulders. She knew she could trust Louise, but it seemed that Guiche's father was someone of moral standing if she felt she could trust Guiche with such a task.

Louise and I exchanged uneasy looks. Guiche could either prove a hindrance or an asset for our little task depending of what might get in our way. "I have a feeling things have just gotten a lot harder," I said.

"Matthew, I am inclined to agree," said Louise. Once in a while we could agree with each other on something and right now we had agreed that Guiche might just slow us down. Unfortunately, since Henrietta had accepted his 'generous' proposal for assistance, we were going to be stuck with him.

* * *

><p><em>Matthew took Guiche out of the room to have a few words with him as well as giving Louise and Henrietta some privacy. Silently shutting the door so to not disturb anyone else, he turned his attention to the blonde boy.<em>

"_OK, Guiche, what are you trying to pull?" Matthew demanded, narrowed eyes staring into his._

_Normally Guicche would have made some kind of poetic response about his burning patriotism and desire to serve his princess, but there were two reasons he didn't. The first was because there were no ladies around to impress. The second reason was because Matthew intimidated him and rightly so after learning he was descendant of a king who dared to challenge God. So in this case, Guiche decided that honesty would be the best policy, "I'm the youngest son of my family, and well I'm not exactly what you would call someone my family would be proud of."_

_Matthew learnt that a long time ago._

"_My brothers have astounding records and well, I don't really have much to my name except for my magic. My family doesn't expect anything out of me, really."_

_Matthew looked at Guiche seriously again. "You're trying to prove yourself," he concluded._

"_Yes, yes I am," Guiche claimed. "And when I overheard I thought that this was my chance to accomplish something great so that my father will be proud of me!"_

_Guiche's story wasn't really what one would call uncommon to the upper class. It was a philosophy among many noble families to have 'an heir and a spare'. It would increase the chances of the line being continued. Both children would receive the education and knowledge they would need to continue their line and be a credit to their families. The first son would go on to be the one who continued the family line and hold the power of the name. The second son, if things went well for the first, would simply receive an allowance from their parents and go make their own fortunes in life even with their name to help them along the way. In Guiche's case…he was something of an unexpected surprise. Oh his parents gave him everything he needed, cared about him emotionally, and saw to his education and such. However, his father didn't quite expect anything from him either good or bad. Why would he? He already had two fine sons who would ensure that the Gramont line would continue to hold proud military accomplishments. Why split his attention to a third son who would likely just be used as part of a political move in an arranged marriage to make a stronger alliance with another family?_

_Matthew listened to the blonde's reason before he sighed, "Well, that's a good a reason as any. But you have to know that we're likely going to get into some serious business so if you think you can't hack it you had best say it now."_

"_I can 'hack' it as you say," Guiche replied, although personally he was already scared at the thought of what he might end up running into. Still, he gave his word to his princess and couldn't back out now. "I can and will be of use in this task."_

_Matthew eyed the boy for a moment before he sighed again before shrugging, "Fine. If you really want to come and you think you can help then so be it. Just make sure you pull your own weight."_

"_I will," Guiche nodded._

* * *

><p>We were to set out in the morning, which was expected since Henrietta hinted that the mission was time sensitive. The day was foggy and it was reasonably thick. Guiche, Louise, and I had all gotten horses from the stables, with mine holding all of the equipment and supplies.<p>

While I was making sure that everything was secured, Louise was already on her horse, admiring a ring on her finger. It was an ornate silver ring which had a circular sapphire in it. It had been given to Louise by Henrietta to use as proof to Wales that we were connected to her. Henrietta had also stated that she would be sending a bodyguard to assist us, which was definitely a plus in my book. Fighting mages in single combat was one thing, but fighting off a rebelling army of them was something else altogether.

"Shouldn't this bodyguard be here by now?" the pinkette asked impatiently.

"Give it time, it takes time to get here from the palace or anywhere really," I sighed, satisfied with my securing job.

Louise would have retorted, but a rumbling noise cut her off. We turned to the source to see a portion of the ground in front of us suddenly start bulging. After that, it popped to reveal a truly massive mole with a blue triangle on its forehead coming out of the ground.

"Verdandi!" Guiche gasped. Dismounting his horse, he dashed to his Familiar and embraced it lovingly. It was an odd sight since this mole was so big a person Guiche's size could have easily ridden on its back. "Oh you must have been afraid I'd leave you behind since I didn't take you to the lake the other day!"

"I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing that thing," I sighed. Well, from what I've learnt, Familiars were tied to a mage's elemental competency. Kirche had a salamander to fit her fire magic, Montmorency had a frog to correspond to her water magic, and finally there was Tabitha who had a dragon as a Familiar due to her aptitude in using wind magic. Guiche was an Earth Mage so it made sense that he had a Familiar at home in the earth, but a giant mole? The moles I knew of didn't really get that big but this was another world so I shouldn't apply my own world's logic to it.

"You can't expect to bring that big thing along?" Louise questioned as she dismounted her horse, irritated as Guiche doted on his giant mole. It was kind of cute to see Guiche act like this around an animal. Maybe he wasn't so bad. I mean if he had been a bad guy he might've complained about getting a mole instead of some other Earth-based creature as a Familiar but here he was happily comforting and soothing the big thing…which was heading towards Louise and when it suddenly tackled her to the ground.

"Ah! Get this thing off me!" she shouted, trying to wiggle free from under the mole. The large animal didn't seem to notice as it continued to waddle above her, apparently in search of something.

"Well, guess the mole likes her," said Derflinger.

"Oh, Verdandi is just attracted to jewels and shiny metals," said Guiche. He pointed to the fine ring on Louise's finger that seemed to be attracting the beast. "It must be that ring. She has an eye for fine jewels."

The mole was a _girl_? Well, I guess that made sense if Guiche was so sweet of her.

"That's _very_ fascinating but could you please get it off me!" shrieked Louise.

"Right, right, hold on a second," I chuckled, approaching to try and remove the mole from the pinkette.

*WOOSH!*

That was when a violent gust of wind blew in and blew Verdandi clear off of Louise, sending her tumbling across the ground much to Guiche's horror. I immediately grabbed Derflinger, looking around for the attacker. No wind blew that strongly in an open space like this in such calm weather. The only reason why it happened was because a mage had created the wind.

"W-what happened?" Louise gasped, obviously surprised.

I would have replied, but we were interrupted by the appearance of a griffon coming through the fog. It landed lightly, which was a surprise considering how big the thing was. On its back was a man dressed in a dark blue outfit with a dark blue cloak with a broad hat decorated with a white feather. At his hip was a sword wand that I recalled seeing on Alejandro. He was older than us, easily in his twenties if not his thirties but it was hard to say. His hair was long and trailed down his back, but it was an odd shade of gray which matched by his beard.

I assumed our bodyguard had arrived.

"W-Who are you?-!" Guiche demanded, showing more backbone than I had ever seen before as he pointed his wand at the man.

"By order of Princess Henrietta, I am to be your bodyguard," he replied, tipping his hat. "I am Wardes, captain of the Griffon Knights."

"Wardes…?" Louise uttered in shock, her cheeks pink as she gazed upon our bodyguard.

"The famous mage-knight?-!" Guiche gasped. Apparently this guy was a big deal.

"Ah, my dear Louise. It's a pleasure to see you again," he said as he approached Louise, knelt down and took her hand so he could kiss it. This made me and Guiche just gape at the gesture and not only that, Louise wasn't blowing up.

Was I going to witness a lot of WTF situations in this world? Because if I was, I would start investing in whatever passed for life insurance here in case my heart stopped one too many times.

"Louise, do you know him?" I asked, a little stunned be the gesture I had just witnessed.

Wardes glanced at us, seeing our looks of open shock, as he answered "I apologize for the distress. I thought my fiancée was under attack."

"FIANCEE?-!" Guiche and I cried out, once again blindsided by a WTF moment.

Chuckling, Wardes turned his attention back to the downed Louise before lifting her up in a bridal carry. Despite knowing that the two were engaged to be married or so he said, the pair looked more like father and daughter with Wardes' hair colour and Louise's height. That particular thought made me shudder and I quickly tossed it to the deepest section of the subconscious. Some things just didn't need to be thought about.

"As light as ever Louise," Wardes smiled. "Just like a feather."

Louise began blushing vibrantly, "I-It's been some time, Sir Wardes."

This was just getting to surreal for me.

* * *

><p><em>Kirche yawned as she stumbled towards her window, having been rudely woken up by a loud noise. She had kept her window open the previous night so to allow her heated body to cool off after she had a delicious dream involving herself and her Darling. She had been in the midst of another one when she had been woken up so she wasn't feeling the most pleasant.<em>

"_What is going on?" she mumbled as she rubbed her eyes._

_Peering out into the courtyards, she spotted a group of people nearby. She immediately recognized Guiche and her Darling, but the handsome stranger in blue was someone new. Even stranger was the fact that he had Louise curled up in his arms. In another time or place, Kirche would have been outraged at the fact that such a superior specimen of manhood was lavishing attention on The Zero, but this Kirche was somewhat different from back then._

"_Why that-!" she cried, unable to finish her sentence. "She has a handsome man like that fawning over her and she still intends to keep Darling on a leash? No fair! She's hogging all the men!" It was a somewhat ironic statement to be coming from her, considering how busy her date calendar had been before she firmly decided on her Darling._

"_Ooooh! Just wait until I give her a piece of my mind!" the passionate redhead growled as she stormed to her closet to find her clothes. Then she was going to ask Tabitha for help so they could catch up to the group._

* * *

><p>We were traveling on horseback, my company being only Derflinger on my back and Guiche riding next to me as I watched Wardes ride in front of us on his griffon. He had Louise riding side saddle in front of him and she was clutching to the front of his shirt. Again, I got an image of a daughter and father instead of a couple engaged to be married.<p>

I learnt that Wardes was a Viscout like Alejandro and I wondered if sword wands were a standard armament for Viscounts or was it just for Knights? Mage Knights, now that was an interesting concept.

I also learnt that Louise's parents had arranged for it and she didn't seem to mind. In fact she seemed pretty fond of Wardes and the older man treated her kindly. At least he was better than someone like Mott in that regard. Still, in my opinion, he seemed a little too old for her. In my world it wouldn't be legal until she was 18 and even then it would be frowned on. Louise was like 16 and this guy was probably in his mid-twenties to early thirties although it was hard to tell considering his gray hair.

I then remembered that the laws of my world didn't really apply here. Everything was run like it had been in medieval Europe. Still, I had a funny feeling when I was around Wardes. His presence was…familiar.

I swore to keep my eye on this guy. I knew he was our assigned bodyguard but there was just something about him I didn't like. I honestly hoped that I was just being paranoid, but with all of the curveballs I had been thrown such as Foquet, Alejandro, and Yummies appearing from nowhere, it was best to be prepared in case anything did happen.

"Having the honour of being able to travel with the leader of the Griffon Knights," Guiche grinned. "I feel better about this mission already."

"Uh-huh," I nodded, only half-listening to him gush like a fanboy.

The blonde blinked at my lack of enthusiasm, likely wondering just why I wasn't as excited as he was over meeting someone like Wardes. He looked between me and where I was looking ahead to where Wardes and Louise were travelling. I saw a grin overcome his face as some idea entered his face.

"Ah, so it seems you are reluctant to allow Louise to remain solely in Wardes' presence?" he asked cheekily. "It is normal to feel jealousy in situations like this."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm not jealous. It just feels like I've met Wardes before and I have no idea where."

"Really?" Guiche blinked.

"Yes, but I would have recognized him and that's just bugging me," I sighed.

Our trip eventually brought us to a spot in the mountains. I was a little confused since Louise had mentioned that we would be going to a port town to reach Albion. To me, that said that Albion would be across a body of water and thus we would need a boat. The town we were coming across, La Nocher, was supposedly tucked away here somewhere. So unless there was like ome hidden massive lake up in the mountains which led the way to the country in question, we weren't going to find a port as I knew it. Curiosity getting the better of me, I looked to Guiche for answers.

"So, where exactly is Albion anyway?" I asked.

"You don't know?" Guiche asked.

"Nope," I said.

"Albion's a floating island," he said. My eyes widened. A floating island? OK, that had to be either the most ridiculous thing I heard or the coolest. A real floating island. Now this was something I had to see for myself.

I peered back to Wardes and Louise chatting, with my pink-haired master/partner probably telling him about all that she'd accomplished. I think I was mentioned when he looked at me for a second before turning his attention back to Louise.

I just hoped this wouldn't turn out like the situation with Alejandro. I didn't need another jealous Viscount after my head.

* * *

><p>La Nocher seemed like a pretty respectable place. Being locked in the middle of the mountains, the only building material was the rock which was everywhere. Guiche regaled me with stories of how the best Earth Mages were able to carve all of the homes and buildings so perfectly out of the rock. I only listened half-heartedly, not really interested in how they built the place. The locals found us an interesting sight, which I suppose a griffon would be as it walked through the town like it was with us behind it.<p>

Wardes guided us to a fancy inn, well, as fancy as a building carved out of the side of a mountain could be anyway. The flowers and silk draping it were a nice touch though.

"We'll rest here for the night," Wardes announced, dismounting the griffon before gently guiding Louise off of his steed.

"R-right," Guiche nodded, quickly dismounting his horse. I did the same and began tending to the packages so we could bring inside some of our necessities.

"Matthew! Answer Sir Wardes when he talks to you!" Louise shouted at me.

"Wasn't aware I had to," I replied, not looking up.

"Ah, it's all right Louise," Wardes laughed, looking up from reaching to grab his pack. "I don't mind. I'm not one of those nobles who demand respect and deference simply because of my position."

I raised an eyebrow at the comment. Well, it was the most humble I had ever heard any noble speak. Well, it just went to show just how different Wardes was from other nobles I had met thus far. At least it seemed that he would be an easy fellow to get along with.

After securing our things in our rooms, we all took the liberty of having dinner in the main dining room the inn offered us. People were making conversation and the atmosphere was actually a little nice. I felt a little tense since Viscount Wardes was eating with us, but I decided to at least try to get to know the guy who would be helping us.

"So Viscount Wardes, just how did you and Louise meet?" I asked.

"Well," the Viscount smiled. "I had been friends with Louise's father already so when I would go to visit the Valliere estate during social functions or appointments we would run into one another. So we were already acquaintances."

"Hm," I nodded.

"Well, one day Louise had been distressed since her father had compared her magic to her elder sisters' again," Wardes continued. I didn't need to guess how the comparison went and in who's favour it went. "It unfortunately upset her so she took a boat to the middle of the lake where she could be alone."

"Sir Wardes!" Louise whined, blushing slightly.

"It's nothing to be ashamed about," Wardes smiled at his fiancée before turning back to me. "Well, I went to comfort her and see if we couldn't talk some sense into her stubborn father."

"So that's when you two truly became close?" I asked.

"It was about then," Wardes nodded. "With the two of us so close and my rising reputation in the Griffon Knights, Louise's parents decided that I would be a fine match for her." He turned to smile at the pinkette, making her blush. "I happen to agree."

Not my laws, not my laws, not my laws. Planting a smile on my face, I raised my goblet to the pair, "Well then I wish you two a long, fruitful, and happy marriage."

"Ah, you flatter us," Wardes laughed, even if Louise's blush turned brighter. "Since we're in the mood to talk about ourselves, I've heard that Louise summoned you, am I correct?"

"That's right, I'm her Familiar," I answered. "Has she told you a lot?"

"Only that you're allegedly descended from royalty," Wardes said.

I glanced at Louise who started twiddling to her fingers. I guess she wanted to brag to somebody about how her Familiar was turning out. Who better than the man who seemed to be her constant pillar of support? He would have had plenty to say in a positive sense, congratulating her of course.

"Well, from what evidence that's popped up yes," I nodded, reluctantly admitting to the image people were painting of me. "I never really believed it or just discounted it, but I guess I just didn't want to admit to it personally. Everyone else just came to the conclusion quite quickly."

"Hm, I would assume that one would be quick to admit being related to a member of royalty," Wardes commented.

"Not when said member of royalty tried to usurp the power of a god for the sake of his own greed and for the goal of conquering the world," I replied. "Would you admit being related to a man who committed one of the ultimate blasphemies?"

"Ah, that would make sense," Wardes admitted. "Then your family would have kept the connection secret until you came across one of his artefacts activated by the power of his bloodline. That would all but confirm it."

"Many people seem to think so," helping myself to some steak. God what I wouldn't do for some ketchup right now though. Thankfully they had salt otherwise I would have been ready to riot. There was absolutely nothing worse than bland meat in my opinion.

"You know, hearing about what possible magic you may hold has gotten me curious," the Viscout spoke, leaning forward so to rest his elbows on the table and his chin on his hands. "I would certainly love it if you would spar with me."

"MPH!" Guiche choked.

"A s-s-spar?-!" Louise gasped, looking to her fiancé. "Sir Wardes, I don't think that-!"

"Oh don't worry, I'll take it easy on him," Wardes reassured her. "Although I may not need to. You've defeated Foquet the Crumbling Dirt and even another Viscount from Germania, haven't you?" he asked, looking to me.

"How's you find out about that?" I asked, honestly surprised.

"My position offers me an ear to the latest incidents that the government would rather be kept quiet," Wardes answered calmly. "So, is it true?"

Deciding that if he already knew, there was no point in denying it, "I was the one who neutralized Foquet so that Louise and our allies could capture her. I also fought Viscount Corleone both in an honourable duel and in battle when he attempted to kidnap the Zerbst heiress," I snickered softly. "You know, despite the rivalry it seems the Valliere and Zerbst have similar tastes. Both families have Viscounts considered for their daughters and both were able to use wind elements."

"Hm, now that is a strange coincidence," Wardes agreed.

"Hmph! There is nothing the Vallieres have that the Zerbst can compete with!" Louise huffed.

"So, a spar, right? Nothing lethal?" I asked Wardes.

"Indeed," said Wardes.

Well, maybe I could gauge this guy's skill after all as he gauged mine. It would let me see what this guy could do. He was a Wind Mage, obviously, but what was his overall skill level. I wanted to find out for myself. I blame it on that ancient instinct men have to try and prove superiority over other men when they meet.

"But Sir Wardes, is it necessary to spar? Do we have the time?" Louise asked. I wasn't sure if Louise was really concerned about the time limit or she just didn't want us killing each other by accident.

"Be calm, Louise. I simply wish to see if your Familiar is capable of protecting you, that's all," said Wardes, smiling in a way that made her blush. "So, do you accept?"

"I need the exercise," I shrugged.

"Then it's agreed."

* * *

><p>Eventually dinner ended and we all retired to our rooms. Guiche and I had to share one, but at the moment I was alone since the playboy spotted a cute girl in the dining hall and decided to go introduce himself. So I merely sat by the window and began polishing the dirt and dust off of Derflinger with a rag I kept for such occasions.<p>

"Hey, Partner, you sure you want to fight this guy?" Derflinger asked me.

"I promise not to hurt him too badly, Derf," I said to my sword. "Besides, we're only going to have a spar. It's not like we'll be trying to kill each other or something."

"I suppose, but this guy isn't going to be like that other Viscount," my weapon retorted. "He's captain of a Knight squadron and from what the playboy said, likely one of the best."

"That's sort of why I want to fight him," I replied, working on a sizable smudge. Just where the heck did it come from? "Up until now I've been fighting thieves, thugs, Yummies, and a guy who was probably an average Joe in terms of battle. I know I can stack up against the average fighter, but what about those guys who are above the norm? We're going into the country that's in the midst of a revolution. They're likely going to have some heavy hitters if they've managed to put the government to the brink like they have. Testing myself against one of the elite will help me get experience in fighting someone like that so I know what to do during in case we end up in a true combat situation."

"Oh, I get it!" Derflinger realized. "So do you think you can win?"

"I have a chance," I replied. "How good of one depends on his skill as well as what Medals I'm using combined with mine. We'd just have to wait and see how things go tomorrow."

"Well then you'd better make me sharp, Partner!" Derflinger laughed. "We don't need any chance of a screw-up in an important fight like this!"

"Will do Aibou," I grinned.

* * *

><p><em>It was early morning when Matthew and Wardes went out to have their spar, deciding on an open alleyway behind some of the buildings so they wouldn't be interrupted. Louise and Guiche were their only audience. The pinkette looked worriedly at the two men. One was her fiancé while the other was her Familiar. She knew that Matthew could stand up against the power of a noble. There was no denying it after what she'd seen him do. She clutched the Medal Book tightly to her chest as she watched them stare each other down, accessing each other. Matthew already had three Core Medals slotted into the O-Driver. All he needed to do was scan them to transform into OOO.<em>

* * *

><p>"Are you ready?" Wardes asked me.<p>

"I should ask you the same thing," I said as I tilted my O-Driver and grabbed my O-Scanner. "Keep your eyes peeled, Wardes, because you're about to see me Henshin!"

"**TAKA!**"

"**TORA!**"

"**BATTA!**"

"**TA-TO-BA TATOBA TA-TO-BA!**"

Wardes watched as the Medal projection spun around my body before the three Core Medal projections appeared in a vertical line, showing the animals engraved on them, before coming together to form OOO's default O-Lung Circle. I then drew Derflinger who also changed into the Medajalibur at the same time.

"Interesting," he said.

What? That was it? Well, he wasn't too surprised, I guess. Maybe he was jus ready after the stories I told Louise. That or he had managed to train himself to conceal his emotions.

"Before we start, is it alright if Louise gives me assistance? I asked Wardes.

"Assistance?" he asked.

"She's my Master, and the one to hold my Core Medals until I need them," I explained. "In our spar I'm going to need to switch my armaments."

Wardes seemed to consider this before he said, "Very well."

Nodding, I raised Medajalibur and squared off against the Viscount. We stood still a moment before we charged at one another in a flurry of wind. My Gandalfr runes and the enhancements the suit offered me gave me my speed, but Wardes had natural experience and reflexes to help him out. Out blades met and crashed against one another in a shower of sparks. I didn't hesitate to try and push him back though. Instead, I began slashing, attempting to find a weak point in his stance. His reflexes were damn impressive though since he managed to keep up with me strike for strike.

"You're fast, but inexperienced," Wardes spoke, "You're full of openings!"

He reared his back his weapon and aimed for a thrust to hit my chest. However, I was more than a simple swordsman or else I may have been struck. I activated the power of my Batta Legs and leaped up into the air, somersaulting over the Viscount before landing behind him. Twisting, I slashed wide at him but he managed to block the blow in another shower of sparks.

"And you're just underestimating me!" I retorted with another strike.

The two of us danced across the alley, striking at one another time and time again. I admit I was no great shakes at swordsmanship and it was only the runes and the enhancements which allowed me to keep up with the guy. Sparks flew once more as we clashed. Wardes then shifted his weight so the tip of his sword wand was pointing at me. I barely had time to blink before a small and concentrated whirlwind sent me skidding backwards; feeling like a damn hammer had hit me in the gut.

Shaking off the blow, I used the Batta Legs again to leap back into the fray, letting my blade clash against Wardes' again. This time though, as he was blocking I removed a hand from the Mederflinger's hilt with my fingers clenched. A roar echoed through my ears before the Tora Claws extended. I swiped at Wardes with my arm, but he ducked and skidded backwards. The feather on his hat was a total loss though.

We took a moment to stare each other down. I noticed he was breathing slightly harder than normal, indicating that he was working harder in this fight than he had been expecting to. Well, I was breathing kind of hard too. This was a tough fight and it was only a spar!

It would need to end, though. "So, how do I rank up in your eyes, Viscount Wardes?" I asked my Master's fiancé.

"You might make a good soldier in our army," Wardes stated, honestly.

"Well, then let me show you what else I can do!" I sheathed Mederflinger and called to Louise. "Louise, the Lion and Kamakiri Medals!"

Louise had been stunned by the fight that she barely heard my voice but when she heard me call out the names of the Medals she opened up the Medal Book and took them out. She gripped them tightly and tossed them to me. I caught them in my hand and removed the Taka and Tora Medals to replace them and then I scanned them.

"**RAION!"**

"**KAMAKIRI!"**

"**BATTA!"**

I sheathed Derflinger, making the sword groan in disappointment as the crests appeared before fusing with me. My torso armour turned green with the mantis symbol taking the centre of the O-Lung. My shoulders were covered in round armour with green lines on the edges while I was armed with thick green gauntlets that had extensions reaching up to my elbows. My helmet was mainly yellow with the top of it down to my jaw line being covered by yellow armour shaped like a lion's mane. The face plate was lined with yellow with yellow whisker-like markings on the mouth guard. My eyes had turned bright blue and a yellow stone was on my forehead.

"Hmmm," Wardes observed. Likely he was wondering what this change in my armour meant.

I took another battle stance and clenched my fists. My Kamakiri emblem flashed as I felt a rapid chirping echoed in my ears. My gauntlets immediately reacted before the extensions on them detached and fell into my hands, forming the Kamakiri Swords. They were held in a reverse grip and pointed down like a mantis' claws.

"Time to see some stars!" I grinned, a lion's roar echoing in my ears. The gem on my forehead immediately lit up, unleashing a curtain of light which illuminated every dark corner of the alley and likely being able to compete with the sun. I heard Guiche and Louise cry out while Wardes brought up his cloak to shield his eyes. Only I was immune to the light, finding it only a pretty change of venue.

With my opponent blinded, I rushed forward with my Kamakiri Swords. Jumping once again, I came back down ready to put them in a scissor position with Wardes' neck in the middle. Victory would be sweet!

*KLANG!*

I froze in the spot and the light from my Raion Head died down. My Kamakiri Swords were aimed properly and the blades were resting on his neck. However, the tip of his sword wand was aimed right at my abdomen which was only covered with the reinforced fabric of my suit, a likely weak point. Wardes lowered the cloak from his eyes and looked at me, his face a mask.

"It seems we are at a stalemate," he commented.

"Yup," I nodded. "I could cut your throat with these but at the same time you could unleash a piercing wind spell of some kind and put a big hole where my organs used to be. If there's a better way to describe this situation, I don't know it."

"A draw then."

"Yup."

Wardes and I relaxed our stances and backed away from one another. I couldn't help but feel the heebie jeebies running down my spine while Wardes removed his hat to remove the ruined feather from it. I was feeling the adrenaline beginning to wear off and it was making my limbs tremble. I put my O-Driver into the horizontal position and allowed my armour to disappear.

"Those are some very powerful artefacts," admired Wardes.

"Just my luck for getting them," I shrugged.

I looked over to where Louise and Guiche had been watching. Louise's jaw had dropped at the sight of Wardes and I in a stalemate while Guiche looked like his eyes had been replaced with sparkles. Either I had blinded him worse than I thought or that was sheer admiration appearing in those eyes.

"Woo, now I feel all excited from that," I grinned, folding my arms behind my head. "Anyone up for some breakfast?"

"I think we can all agree to that," Wardes nodded, not at all looking offended or disappointed with how our spar had turned out. "What say you, Louise? Shall we?"

"…Ah! Um, yes! Of course!" Louise nodded, snapping out of her shocked state.

"We'll take the scenic route then," Wardes nodded, walking over to stand next to Louise so that she could take his arm as a lady and gentleman would. Honestly, they still looked like father and daughter in my eyes and knowing his intentions of marrying her just made the scene creepy. "We'll meet you both back at the inn."

"…right," I smiled falsely. Not my laws, not my laws, not my laws…

Waving, Wardes and Louise walked off. As they were passing me, Louise handed back the Medal Book, which I happily took. I could always trust her to hold them when we were fighting something, but I always felt better knowing they were on me when things were peaceful. Medals quickly placed inside of my jacket, I was tempted to tease them about not doing anything which would force them to get married sooner, but I decided against it. No need to insult anybody just when it seemed I may have gotten their respect. Looking over to Guiche, I saw that he was still staring out into space with those lights in his eyes.

"Guiche?" I asked.

"Uh…" he stared, but then he managed to return to his sense before starting to gush at me. "Sir Matthew! That was incredible! You managed to fight a captain of the Griffon Knights to a draw! Do you have any idea what an incredible feat that is?-! I can only think of few mages who might be able to do such things! Truly you are an incredible warrior!"

"Heh, as much of an ego boost that is, remember he said he'd go easy on me," I chuckled, honestly happy for the praise. "Then again, I didn't go all out and use a Full Combo either." I shook my head, decided that I didn't want to give myself too much of a bloated head. Still, how many people could claim to have done what I did?

"Come on," I gestured, turning to leave the alley. "Let's head back to the inn and get some breakfast. I could use some after that workout."

"Ah! R-right!"

* * *

><p>Wardes said he would take care of securing transportation to Albion, which I feel was just an excuse to try and spend more time with Louise but they were engaged so I guess it was in his right. Guiche and I were handed a list of extra supplies to grab for the trip. So the playboy and I were off at the marketplace with whatever gold Wardes spared for us to use for what things we would need to the trip to Albion.<p>

I had to be honest, it was less than what I was expecting in terms of necessities, but Wardes was a soldier and probably used to harsh life.

By the time we were finished, it the sun was starting to sink. Guiche and I had our packs filled to the brim with supplies and to be honest it was kind of heavy.

"…can't…take much more…" Guiche groaned, struggling with his load.

"I thought your family was thick in the military?" I frowned. "Surely you can handle this much."

"I also said I wasn't exactly favoured," Guiche panted, shooting me a look.

"Right, right," I nodded. "Well, the inn's not too far away so we can drop this stuff off and maybe get some rest before we head out. Hopefully Wardes got us our transportation."

"And some porters!" the blonde groaned.

I shook my head as we walked along one of the walkways that made up the pathways around the city. I had to admit that the scenery was pretty nice. Nice enough for me to stop to take a look at it anyway. I couldn't think of a place which could match the sunset sighting outside of the grand canyon.

"Nice."

*BOOM!*

The sudden explosion rocked me and Guiche as well as sending dust in all direction. We coughed to try and get the dirt from our lungs and I could feel it stinging my eyes, making them water. My hands went to my face to try and clean the dust off. Managing to get a good amount of it, out of my eyes, I looked to see what had caused it.

What I saw was a large, bulky golem with spiked manacles and a green-haired woman standing on its head.

"Foquet?-!" I gaped.

"Hello, Gandalfr," the thief purred maliciously. "It's been some time."

I thought she was behind bars. I mean stealing the Staff of Destruction (rocket launcher) and trying to use it on academy students should've given her a life sentence. Either she got an early parole (which was unlikely) or someone broke her out and I had a feeling it was that thief who'd stolen my Cell Medals.

"Fancy meeting you here," I frowned. "I thought you'd be rotting in a prison cell about now. Lemme guess, a generous sponsor decided to get you out?"

"For lack of a better term," the green-haired woman shrugged. "Gold can open so many doors these days."

Great, it seemed more and more that Henrietta's fears about corruption in her government were being proven right. Foquet was a dangerous criminal and some guard or magistrate decided to let her go simply because he saw enough gold to distract him. Didn't you just love it?

"So what now?" I asked. "Decided to hand over a little payback?"

"Why, however did you guess?" asked the woman mockingly as she raised her wand, pointing it at me. "Go!"

I grabbed Guiche and we took cover quickly as one of the golem's fists nearly crushed us and turn us into pulp.

"Guiche, I need you to distract her!" I told Guiche as I put on my O-Driver.

"Distract!-? But she's-!"

"You want to prove yourself so much? Well here's your chance!" I interrupted him. I needed Foquet occupied so I could transform.

Guiche swallowed and nodded before drawing out his wand. "Very well, I will," he said with as much steel in his voice as possible. Drawing his wand, he stood straight before waving it, activating his magic. Immediately from the ground, close to ten bronze golems rose up to defend us from the massive dirt golem.

"Charge!" Guiche ordered, pointing his wand at the massive golem. His own bronze golems answered the call and dashed towards the enemy.

I quickly reached into my jacket and pulled out the Medal Book. Foquet's eyes narrowed as her teeth grit before she made her golem move once again. This time it began swatting the bronze golems aside as it tried to get towards me. I kept my nerve and plucked out three blue Medals before I began placing them in my belt. The dirt golem to a swipe at me, but I rolled to the side.

"Dammnit! He said you didn't have them!" Foquet hissed, redirecting her golem at me as quickly as she could.

He? No doubt her benefactor was who she was talking about. But how would he know about the Medals and if I would have them or not? I'd consider it later; it was time to bring the hammer down!

I grabbed the O-Scanner and swiped it across my choice of Medals. "Henshin!"

"**SHACHI!**"

"**UNAGI!**"

"**TAKO!**"

"**SHA-SHA-SHAUTA! SHA-SHA-SHAUTA!**"

* * *

><p><em>Louise sat in her cabin, waiting for the ship to take off. She was alone with Wardes, but she didn't feel at ease like she thought she should have. Wardes had told her that Matthew and Guiche had received a message from Henrietta that they were to head elsewhere to meet up in Albion so not to draw too much attention to themselves. It made sense to Louise, but something didn't feel right. Matthew wasn't the type to just up and leave without telling her. He would at least have sent a message or something.<em>

"_Louise?" Wardes spoke up from his seat. "I'm curious, do you think you could show me those Medals which your Familiar uses as part of his magic?"_

"_Hm?" Louise blinked, looking at her fiancé. "Oh, I don't have them anymore. I gave them back to him."_

_That seemed to bring Wardes up short for some reason, "Y-you gave them back?"_

"_Well, he didn't need me to hold them anymore," Louise shrugged. "Why would I need to hold onto them?"_

"_I would have thought that you would have preferred to keep your Familiar on a short leash, lest he turn against you," Wardes commented._

"_He wouldn't do that," Louise denied, shaking her head. Wardes just didn't know her Familiar like she did. She was a little surprised to hear him voice such blatant distrust and suspicion, but she supposed it was only natural that he developed a sense of it as a captain of the Griffon Knights._

"_How can you be sure though?" Wardes pressed._

"_Because I know him," Louise answered with a sense of finality._

* * *

><p>I heard Foquet curse as her golem lashed out at me. I really wasn't too concerned about it and let the ugly thing grab a hold of me, even if it did send shivers down my spin. I swear I have never seen such an ugly hunk of rock in my life! A designer Foquet was not!<p>

When the golem began to apply pressure I turned into water and like a slippery eel I slipped out from that ugly golem's grip. It was easy to spot her in my rapid movements and quickly. Then again, I wasn't surprised because, honestly, her outfit was so drab! I could spot horrible fashion a mile away! I mean, really? Didn't she have any good taste at all?

I suppose I was making myself a pretty easy target too, but Guiche was doing a pretty good job at diverting her attention. His golems were lashing out against that ugly pile of dirt, striking its joints so to try and disable it. Good boy! That pretty boy may not have been a favoured son, but it seemed he had picked up a thing or two from his daddy and big brothers! Still, my focus was still trained on Foquet.

Attacking us like this, that naughty Foquet was in desperate need to be punished and I had just the tools for the job! Taking my Unagi Whips, I lashed out at Foquet but a rocky forearm blocked my strike! Ooh, I was so mad at seeing that! All of that dirt and rock was just going to nullify any electric attack I made on Foquet so I would just have to get rid of it.

And I was also starting to feel a little tired. I should try to finish this soon.

"Derflinger, are you ready to play?" I asked my trusty and beautiful weapon.

"Partner, I'm always ready." I think he was eager to cut that golem in half again like the last time.

Dodging Foquet's golem's punch again, I slipped three Cell Medals into Derflinger, one-by-one. He gulped them down with ease. I then reached for the O-Scanner so I could get rid of that awful eyesore!

*BOOM!*

A concentrated fireball came down from the sky and exploded against the golem's knee, making the limb shatter and the golem fell down with only one leg to support it. Now I have to admit that I was really surprised by what had happened. Looking up in the direction of the attack, I spotted a familiar blue dragon flying down towards me and Guiche. Riding on its backs was a familiar pair of faces which I had come to appreciate.

"Kirche-girl! Tabby!" I squealed. "This is such a surprise!"

"Hello, Darling!" Kirche greeted, waving at me.

Guiche was panting, looking absolutely bushed. The poor boy, I'd have to make this up to him somehow after such a manly effort. He was just a dot-level Mage so he didn't have much energy to keep on summoning Valkyries. He was just relieved to see help arrive. Slyphid came down, depositing the two girls onto the ground with us. Kirche-girl looked ready to burst out of her skin as she looked at me while Tabby was as adorable as ever in the small bookish way of hers.

Still, business before pleasure! "I appreciate the help, but I need to do something first."

Foquet was cursing, trying to get her golem to regenerate as quickly as she could. Oh I wasn't about to let her pull off any more of her tricks so I lashed out with my Unagi Whips and managed to catch her with them on my first try! Her arms were pinned by them. I didn't want her to pass out until I asked her some questions so I put my whips into neutral setting and hauled her off her golem to land at my feet.

"Oof!" she grunted, trying not to choke on the dust. Behind her, her golem began to crumble since her concentration was broken and her magic was cut off. She glared up at me with one of the dirtiest looks I have ever seen. Ugh, what a drama queen!

"Save the melodrama," I sighed, walking up to the downed woman. Checking her hands, I found her wand which I pulled away. Still, seeing her up close just made some details more obvious. "Ugh! I see prison did not do you any favours. Bags under your eyes, split ends, and your fashion taste is as bad as ever! No wonder you seem to never have any men in your company."

"Hey!" the vertette snapped, her eye twitching as she glared more heatedly at me. "I'll have you know I can seduce guys just fine! I used to bring in huge tips back when I worked as a waitress! My looks were what got me that job with the old man!"

"Right, right," I sighed. Poor girl, she was in denial. "Well since you're in such a _splendid_ mood for talking, maybe you wouldn't mind telling us who busted you out of jail, hm? While you're at it, you can explain just how you managed to track us down."

"And if I don't talk?" Foquet snarled.

"Hmmm…oh, I don't know…." I teased, holding my whips.

*BRZZAP!*

"OW!"

"Something like that," I answered. "Only several times worse for every wrong answer you give us."

Foquet gritted her teeth, likely torn between not wanting to answer but not wanting to get hurt either. If I tried this nasty threat on someone like a trained soldier I'd probably wouldn't be getting anywhere. Luckily, Foquet was just a sneaky thief so we might just be getting some answers.

"Now," I pressed. "Who let you out of prison? It had to be someone with either a lot of gold, or a lot of clout with the men upstairs or else there'd be a huge commotion over your escape."

* * *

><p><em>Louise watched Wardes out of the corner of her eye. He seemed…troubled? Ever since she told him that she'd left the Core Medals with Matthew he didn't seem to be in a talking mood. Granted, he didn't know Matthew like she did so there was probably some level of distrust. Maybe he was worried that Matthew would just leave with the Core Medals and never come back, but Matthew wouldn't do that. He would've done so long ago if he really wanted to. Even if things had been rough at the start, she and Matthew had started to develop a more friendly relationship. He said they were partners and even once complimented her on her strategy. After the first duel with Alejandro, he complimented her on adding the Kuwagata Medal to the random Combo when Matthew hadn't even asked for it. It wasn't too big of a deal, considering it was logical. With Alejandro hitting him with those wind attacks, Matthew needed a long-ranged attack while he was grounded by the Tako Legs.<em>

_The Core Medals were also her Familiar's precious treasures. They were like a family heirloom, even if said family had tried to use them to become a god, a blasphemous act indeed. They were dangerous too, if they ever fell into the wrong hands. Cell Medals too. He was the only one who knew them inside and out, the only one she felt one hundred percent safe knowing he had them._

* * *

><p>"OK, I think that's enough," I said as I removed the Unagi Whips from Foquet. "Thank you for your cooperation, Foquet." I think I overdid it, because her hair had gotten fuzzy, almost like an afro, after being zapped for her stubbornness. I kept the voltage low. High enough to sting but low enough to be non-lethal.<p>

I just wish her answers hadn't been so severe.

"I…I can't believe it…Sir Wardes…a member of the rebels?" Guiche gaped.

Foquet had claimed that Wardes had been the one to spring her out of prison by bribing the warden into falsifying some documents stating she was being shipped to another country for her crimes. Since she had been active all over Halkenginia in her crimes, it wasn't too hard to believe. Wardes was a member of the rebels who called themselves Reconquista and were the ones trying to overthrow the royal family of Albion before, at least to Wardes, they moved on to the other countries. When Wardes heard of the letter, he immediately told his superiors who ordered him to retrieve the letter and assassinate the prince.

He was also to retrieve Louise and both my medals and my O-Driver.

"Louise The Zero? A Void Mage?" Kirche-girl gaped, focusing on something else besides the fact that a legendary Tristain knight was in truth a traitor to the crown.

"Be sure not to attract flies," I commented.

Foquet had spilled about my abilities as OOO as well as the fact that Louise was potentially a Void Mage since I was proven to be Gandalfr according to the runes on my hand. Wardes was to bring Louise back to try and coerce her to serve their cause while using my Medals as another one of their secret weapons.

What Foquet was supposed to do though was distract Guiche and I while Wardes took Louise to Albion where they would meet up with Wales so he could complete his true mission. Then if Foquet hadn't managed to defeat me, Wardes would meet me in Albion and steal them from me himself.

"C-can we trust what she says though? She's a thief!" Guiche cried, looking like he was teetering on the edge of fallen hero worship.

"Truth," Tabby murmured, her eyes not having left Foquet for a moment. Kirche-girl looked to her friend before turning resolute.

"If Tabitha is sure she is telling the truth, then she's telling the truth," the redhead frowned. "Viscount Wardes is a traitor and Louise is in danger. I should have guessed that a man that handsome lavishing attention on Louise had to be fishy!"

Well that was a little rude. I said, "Then we have to get to Albion fast! If there's a ship still here then Wardes and Louise are still on it!"

I opened up my Medal Book and was about to go for my red Core Medals when Kirche's hand came onto mine. "Kirche-girl, what is it?"

"Darling, I don't think it's wise for you to go red, as much as I like seeing you in that armour. Also, you've probably strained yourself plenty," she said. "Your hands are trembling already."

"What?" I blinked on confusion. Looking to my hands, I found that Kirche-girl was right and that my hands were trembling. Come to think of it, I was beginning to feel like I was made of out lead. Woo, maybe I had been in my stylish suit too long. "Okay, you're right Kirche-girl. Be ready to catch."

"Always Darling!" Kirche beamed, running up behind me before wrapping her arms around my torso. Well, that wasn't what I had in mind but it worked. Reaching to my O-Driver, I unlocked it before removing it from my waist. My stylish ShaUTa armour vanished, leaving me back to my normal self…

And the world became blurry as gravity took hold.

* * *

><p>"<em>What happened?" Guiche asked as he saw Matthew collapse. The young man was caught by Kirche who gently lay him down.<em>

"_Exhaustion," Tabitha summarised._

_Kirche elaborated, "That armor of his draws power from those Core Medals. If he uses a set of three with the same color then he gets super powerful. But, his body can't handle all that power for so long, which is why he passes out like this if he uses them for too long."_

"_How long will he be like this?" Guiche asked. If they were going to be fighting against Wardes, then he would feel better knowing that Matthew was at full strength! None of them would stand a chance otherwise!_

"_Not for long, but we should let him rest," said Kirche, thoroughly examining her darling to make sure he hadn't been wounded in the fight._

_Guiche then exclaimed, "But we need to get to Albion!"_

_Rather than offer any kind of answer, Tabitha merely brought her fingers to her lips before letting out a short whistle. Slyphid perked up immediately and began heading towards the group. Nodding once, Tabitha turned her attention back to Guiche. "We ride," she said._

"_Yes, we'll fly on Sylphid," said Kirche. "Tabitha, how fast can Sylphid fly?"_

_Tabitha didn't answer and just got on._

"_Ah, you're right. We have no time to waste." She told Guiche, "Guiche, would you mind taking care of Foquet?"_

"_Take care of her?" asked the blonde._

"_Tie her up so we can bring her with us!" Kirche replied, heading to the dragon's side so she could get Matthew onto its back. "She's a vital prisoner! We can use her to learn more about the enemy!"_

"_Oh! Right!" Guiche nodded, quickly recalling one of his brothers mentioning the same thing to him in one of their attempts to make Guiche a better potential soldier. He quickly turned to the unconscious women and waved his wand, muttering a quick spell. Bronze rose up from the ground again, but this time formed a pair of shackles that clamped around the green-haired woman's wrists._

_Prisoner secured, Guiche hefted her up (and snuck a quick grope which the woman certainly wouldn't notice) before bringing her over to the dragon which had just gotten Matthew onto its back with the timely help of Tabitha. Guiche and Kirche yanked Foquet on board before the blonde joined his comrades._

"_There, now let's go!" Kirche called. Tabitha responded by tapping Slyphid's head with her staff. The dragon let out a 'Kyui' noise before it prepared to take off to the skies once again. The group of students looked resolutely into the darkening sky. Their destination: Albion and also to save both Louise and Prince Wales._

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, another chapter done and this one ending in a To Be Continued. I hope you all enjoyed this and I hope I made the fight between Wardes and OOO entertaining. I mean, the man is a famous captain of the Griffon Knights so I think he'd have some moves up his sleeve for a sword fight.

Oh, as an added bonus, my Editor Kamen Rider Chrome has written up an Omake for this fic which he and I both feel you all will enjoy.

**Kamen Rider Chrome: Considering Kamen Rider Birth made a short cameo in the last chapter, this little omake is a tribute and a what if. As in 'what if Matthew used Birth instead of OOO during his duel against Guiche?' Well, here's the answer.**

**GUICHE VS BIRTH**

I watched as Guiche waved his rose-tipped wand, a petal falling onto the grass of the Vestri Court. Then I witnessed as that one single petal summoned forth a feminine suit of green armor that was holding a spear.

"Now, my Bronze Valkyrie, show this commoner his place!" Guiche ordered. So, he wanted to show me my place, huh? Humiliate me, huh? Well, I wasn't about to give the blond mimbo (man bimbo) the satisfaction.

"Actually, that's not happening," I said as I flipped a Cell Medal into the air before catching it as it descended. "Henshin!" I called before putting the Cell Medal into my Birth Driver and twisting the knob. The centre opened with a popping sound, releasing half green and half white spears that positioned themselves on my back, my shoulders, my forearms, my chest and my knees. A see-through sphere surrounded me as the orbs unfolded, forming armor that bonded onto my body, covering the rest of me in a black bodysuit. Finally, my helmet formed and the flashing visor signalled my finished change. I scanned the crowd, everyone gawking and gaping at me, Louise especially as she trembled with her eyes as wide as dinner plates. I think I may have shaken up the foundation of their beliefs. As for Guiche, I guess he was starting to have second thoughts but now that we were here his pride wouldn't allow him to take back his challenge.

"ATTACK!" he ordered and the Bronze Valkyrie came at me, spear ready to run me through. Well, I wasn't about to let it happen. I dug my hand into my backpack and pulled out my Birth Buster which I had pre-loaded with some ammunition. Ducking under the spear, I gripped my weapon and aimed.

A golden Medal-shaped bullet flew out from the barrel, hitting the Bronze Valkyrie, knocking it backwards several feet with a very noticeable dent in its armor. The sheer force needed to do that was immense and the kickback alone pretty much validated all of the training Gotoh did in the main series. If I weren't in the armour I would have been knocked flat on my back from the kickback if not fractured my collarbone. Still, I continued to bombard it with shots from my gun, one shot hitting its head and knocking it off its shoulders. Out of ammo and the golem still standing, I dropped my weapon and charged at the enemy before planting my fist into its chest. The shots I had fired into its chest earlier had left a number of dents in its torso and cracks spreading from the holes. My punch made the body crack before falling apart at the seams.

Satisfied, I turned to smirk at Guiche, "Is that all?" I taunted.

Guiche gritted his teeth but summoned more Bronze Valkyries, five in total, and ordered them to surround me. "Hm, this is it?" I asked. Seeing as the golems weren't talking and Guiche started looking smug again, I shrugged. "Oh well." I retrieved my gun and returned to my backpack before putting my hand inside, taking a handful of Cell Medals. I was forced to duck and roll incredibly fast when one of the golems made a charge at me. With my Cell Medals, I decided to show everyone what Birth could really do. I slipped in a Cell Medal and twisted the knob.

"**SHOVEL ARM!"**

I did it twice more!

POP!

"**CATERPILLAR LEG!"**

POP!

"**DRILL ARM!"**

The orbs on my knees, and arms opened up, releasing machine components which bonded to my limbs. On my left arm was the Shovel Arm, a pneumatic claw which wouldn't have looked too out of place on some kind of crane and decorated with orange highlights on my wrist. On my right arm was the Drill Arm, a high powered drill gauntlet that could pierce through just about anything which covered my forearm with blue steel. Finally adorning my legs were the heavy Caterpillar Legs, highly mechanical boots which had caterpillar tracks running up my shins and under my feet. Like my other armaments, they were colored and in this case they were purple.

"Here we go!" The Caterpillar Legs sent me rolling towards the Bronze Valkyries at high speed. Picking a target, I raised up one leg and knocked it violently to the ground before stomping one of my heavily-adorned feet on it, crushing it. Two of the Bronze Valkyries came at me from the sides but the one on my right got impaled by my Drill Arm while the other one was caught and crush by the Shovel Arm. I tossed them up into the air, causing them to fall and crash down, dead. The remaining two went on the attack but I had a better idea on how to show Guiche the error of his ways. Dismissing the two arm weapons, I dashed towards the two Valkyries and clothes-lined them, knocking them onto their backs. I spun around and clutched two more Cell Medals. I used the first.

POP!

"**BREAST CANNON!**"

The orb on my chest popped out of my armour and shone red before bursting into various machine parts before attaching to my chest and forming my body mounted cannon. With the Breast Cannon formed and the two Bronze Valkyries getting up, I decided to unleash my most powerful attack. I made sure though that nobody was in the path because of what I was about to do. I slotted in the second Cell Medal and twisted the knob as the two Bronze Valkyries got back to their feet and tried charging at me once again.

"**CELL BURST!**"

I gripped the handles as the cannon charged and commanded, "FIRE!" I unleashed a beam of red energy that slammed into the two Bronze Valkyries, the energy causing them to explode. Everyone was blown away by what happened and Guiche fell to his knees in shock. It was only when I approached him with my Breast Cannon aimed at him, that he started wailing, "I YIELD! I YIELD!" Staring right into the barrel of a powerful cannon would do that to someone.

Grinning at putting the playboy in his place, I dismiss my weapons and turn back to the audience. Louise is gaping openly at me and Siesta is watching me with sparkling eyes. Everyone else was either staring at me or whispering to somebody next to them. I knew I would be the centre of gossip for a while, but after putting the playboy in his place and showing these noble kids I wasn't someone to look down on I couldn't bring myself to care.


	12. Chapter 12

I do not own Kamen Rider OOO and Familiar of Zero. I am only writing this for fun and not for any kind of profit. I hope you all enjoy this work.

**Familiar of ZerOOO**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**CHAPTER 12: The Prince, The Traitor, and the Scorching Combo**

"_There, now let's go!" Kirche called. Tabitha responded by tapping Slyphid's head with her staff. The dragon let out a 'Kyui' noise before it prepared to take off to the skies once again. The group of students looked resolutely into the darkening sky. Their destination: Albion and also to save both Louise and Prince Wales._

_Before the blue dragon could take off into the sky though, a rumbling noise caught the attention of everyone, somewhat ruining the dramatic moment that the group had brought onto themselves. At first they feared that Foquet had awoken and that she was attempting to escape. However, a quick check revealed the woman to still be unconscious thanks to Matthew's interrogation in his ShaUTa form, courtesy of his Unagi Whips. That and the fact that Matthew still possessed her wand meant even if she was awake, she likely wouldn't be able to do any magic._

"_Where's that noise coming from?" asked Kirche, holding the unconscious Matthew steady._

"_KYUI!"_

_The cry of Slyphid caused everyone to yelp as the dragon began scrambling away from the spot it had been standing on a moment ago. While everyone got their bearings, there appeared a large bulge in the ground which pushed rock and soil away. Once Slyphid calmed down and allowed everyone to see what was happening, the bulge in the ground burst to reveal…_

…_a large mass of brown fur with sparkling eyes, large paws, and a blue marking on its forehead._

"_Verdandi!" Guiche cried out. Leaping off the dragon's back, he dashed towards the giant mole before leaping into a flying hug which the mole seemed to enjoy immensely as she made chuffing noises of glee. "I'm so sorry that we left you behind by Wardes wouldn't hear of it! I'm so glad you're here now!"_

"_Guiche, we need to get moving!" Kirche frowned._

"_Ah, right!" the blonde replied, as he was snapped to his senses regarding the severity of the situation. He began running back to Slyphid. "Come along Verdandi! We're going to Albion!"_

_The mole made another chuffing noise as it ran towards the dragon with its master. Guchie quickly helped Verdandi up onto Slyphid's back before mounting onboard himself. The blue dragon didn't seem to mind the extra weight as it headed to the edge o the rocky ledge._

"_Do we know where Albion is?" asked Guiche, settling against Verdandi. "It's moving around the whole year."_

_Tabitha raised her staff, indicating that she knew, "Airship."_

"_Ah, we can follow the path the airships can take to catch up with Louise!" Kirche beamed and incidentally translate her best friend's word into a sentence Guiche could understand. Tabitha's nod confirmed it._

_Slyphid reached the ledge, incidentally crushing the guard rail which protected people from falling off. Flapping her wings, she took off into the sky. Now they only had to wait to reach Albion, which was likely one of the hardest parts._

* * *

><p><em>Louise was beginning to feel uncomfortable as the ship travelled to Albion. Wardes had gone to see to some thing, which she had to admit was a relief. He had been constantly on highs and lows ever since the ship left. He'd either be silent and dare she say brooding one moment and then the next he'd be charming, trying to get closer to her. It made her feel really pressured and it was like Wardes was in a hurry to get her to say yes to marrying him immediately. After hearing his talk of ambitions to become a major political figure in all of Halkenginia, it made her fear that he saw their approaching union as a means of advancement than any kind of emotional bond to her. Her family would say she was being silly, but something was really bothering her about this. It was subtle, but there were things about Wardes she was noticing that didn't match up to the person she knew in the past…and she didn't like it.<em>

_A petite yawn halted her thoughts. It was getting late and she needed some rest. They would reach Albion by morning and she would have to be ready to meet Prince Wales._

* * *

><p>I returned to consciousness with the wind blowing in my face…and fur against my cheek? Rubbing my eyes and trying to work the soreness out of my limbs, I saw the world return to see open night sky and mountain ranges flying in the distance with no ground close by. The fur I was nestled up against belonged to Verdandi who was snoozing with an actual snot bubble coming out of her nose. Shaking my head, I tried to get my bearings straight as I recalled what happened before I had passed out.<p>

"Awake are you?" a voice asked.

Sitting up straight, I turned to see none other than Foquet sitting next to me with her arms chained up behind her back and her hair still looking a little frizzy. She looked as grumpy as ever and certainly not pleased to see me

"At least you're a somewhat pleasant face to wake up to," I grunted, fixing my position to be more comfortable.

"Hmph!"

Further examination of my surroundings revealed that I was sitting on the back of Tabitha's dragon with the trio of students sitting near the beast's neck or shoulders. The noise from Foquet's words and my own retort caused both Guiche and Kirche to turn back to see what was going on. Seeing that I was finally awake, Kirche reacted first.

"Darling!" she cried, lunging forward and trapping me in her sinful valley once again. I was still in too much of a daze to struggle much. "Oh Darling I was so worried! As graceful as you were in that blue armour I just couldn't help but worry over your health!"

"Mph…" I managed to mumble out. Air…getting…short…

Thankfully, she let me go as she nestled up against Vedandi's side to sigh contentedly as she clutched my arm. Guiche looked on it quite obvious envy at us, likely wanting to be where I was at the moment, but knowing just how much it may cost him if it ever got back to Montmorency that he had strayed yet again.

Sighing, I resigned myself to being Kirche's cuddle toy and thankful for the fact that with Verdandi acting as a barrier, more of us were able to sit comfortably on Slyphid's back. I was still feeling the effects of using ShaUTa like I did. Since we likely had a long way to go before hitting Albion, I decided to enjoy Kirche's presence and get some rest.

"So you do have a weakness after all," Foquet piped up, frowning at me. "And here so many of the rebels think you're practically unstoppable."

"Oh put a sock in it," I sighed. I was in no mood to deal with anyone's sharp tongue at the moment. "Seriously though, why are you even throwing in with these Reconquista guys anyway? You're a thief, not a revolutionary. Were they offering to pay you a king's ransom for helping them out and giving information on me and Louise?"

"What they have for me is far more precious than just gold and silver," the green-haired woman growled back.

"Like what, your noble title?" I asked. "I figure you must have had one before you started your thieving career. Having it back would be a pretty big incentive I imagine."

"My title means nothing to me," Foquet replied, turning to look into the distance. "I care nothing about nobles and the little games those spoiled fools play."

"Then what makes you so loyal to these guys?" I asked. She didn't want money or status from them so just what made her join up with them in the first place? Don't tell me she was in it in some misguided attempted to help the people be free from royalty who last I heard weren't doing too bad in ruling in favour of a group of nobles who figured they deserved the throne for some selfish reason.

Foquet glanced at me before she turned back to stare at the scenery. She began talking, "Let me tell you a story then. Once upon a time there was a little girl named Matilda. She was the daughter of the Archduke of Albion. She lived in an area called Saxe-Gotha. It was a prosperous place and the people were happy. It had thriving communities and plenty of fertile land to work with in all industries."

I blinked. Where was she going with this?

"She lived in a very expensive house, as expected of someone of her family's status. However, it wasn't very happy. Her mother and father were joined in an arranged marriage and neither of them were what you could call loving of one another. Oh they cared about their daughter, but the way they were so neutral with one another made Matilda feel like she was a chain keeping them together rather than a fruit of their union."

Now we had both Kirche and Guiche's attention. I also didn't doubt that Tabitha was listening in too.

"One day, she discovered that her father had a mistress. Not an uncommon thing given the situation and Matilda was old enough to understand the concept. However, she met her father's mistress and was instantly smitten, seeing her as one of the most beautiful women in the world. Matilda could understand why her father had fallen for this woman. However, it was vitally important to keep her a secret since this woman…was an elf."

Gasps bust from the throats of Guiche and Kirche, but Foquet didn't comment on it. She just continued with her story.

"Matilda wasn't afraid though. This elf was very kind and gentle, wanting to be Matilda's friend rather than be someone to fear. The pair would spend long hours in the gardens and in the West Woods just talking to one another and learning. It was from her that Matilda learned much of her magic and developed a talent at creating golems. Golems that were much larger than one of her class level and much stronger than the average child could make. As she got older, they even began to outshine even the adults."

When learning about elves thanks to some of the rumours at the academy stating I was related to one, I learned that elves could use magic that could harness nature in ways a human couldn't even compare with. My guess was from the story, this elf woman taught Matilda magic and she had been young enough to harness some of that elf talent to create bigger and better golems anyone her age could. Not enough to match elf magic, but enough to be considered advanced or even a prodigy in the field.

"Eventually, her father's mistress became pregnant and had a child," Foquet continued. "She was a beautiful little baby girl and she had so many qualities of her mother, including her pointed ears. Despite her half-elf heritage, Maltilda cherished and loved her new little sister. She watched over her and played with her as if they were true sisters rather than half-siblings. It was a happy time for Matilda since she felt she had a true family. Sadly, it was not to last."

"What happened?" asked Kirche softly, entranced by the story.

"Matilda's skill at crafting golems reached the ears of Albion's king," the green-haired woman replied. "Hearing that she was so skilled and lone heiress to Saxe-Gotha, a land known for its prosperity, he immediately proposed to Matilda's father a marriage between her and his son Wales."

We all perked up at the name.

"While it would be a most fortuitous union for both families, something Matilda's mother was eager to claim, her father at least wanted his eldest daughter to have some say in how the proceedings went. So with some negotiation, he had Matilda and Wales meet to see if they could form a connection which would allow the marriage. Matilda was fair, wanting to at least give the boy a chance and while Wales was no doubt under a lot of pressure to woo her, he was likewise calm and collected as he wanted to see if he and Matilda would be a good pair. Try as they might though, Wales and Matilda both found they did not possess that spark which would make for a good marriage. With some regret, she turned him down and in turn her father did not accept the contract."

I winced, that must have been a downer for a lot of people.

"Matilda's mother did not take it well and became colder to her daughter, believing her to have wasted a chance at more wealth and prestige in being connected to the royal family and thus must be a fool. Wales was quite different, showing maturity, patience, and understanding which would do him well during his future on the throne. The one who took it worst was the king, proclaiming that he was insulted by slip of a girl who rejected his now broken-hearted son. It was a blatant lie since everyone knew the king wanted to dip his fingers deeper into the Saxe-Gotha coffers and resources as well as claim more fame to the throne by having such a skilled daughter-in-law. In retaliation, he began placing higher taxes and fines on everything going in or out of Saxe-Gotha while sending a whisper of a message stating if her father would accept the proposal, he would lift the taxes."

"Wow. What an asshole," I stated bluntly.

Foquet blinked at me, likely not knowing what 'asshole' meant but knew it to be an insult to the man, "Matilda's father refused to submit, knowing that what the king was doing was wrong and decided to try to rally support from the other nobles to try and stop the king's activities legally. Matilda's mother often had loud arguments with her husband, demanding that they marry Matilda to Wales so to stop losing so much money. Still, Matilda's father refused to play with the corrupt king's edict since he knew he was in the right still," Foquet's head then dipped down. "However, Matilda's mother was of the kind of nobility who cared more about money, reputation, and material possessions rather than right or wrong. So to try and separate herself from her floundering husband, she reported to the king about his mistress. "

"Oh crap," I sighed, just knowing what that would bring. Humans and elves didn't get along that well, for lack of a better term.

"The king saw his chance and seized the manor, murdering Matilda's father under the pretence of plotting to overthrow the king. Again, a blatant lie but everyone was too afraid to say otherwise. Even Matilda's mother was murdered to hide this truth. The elf hid her daughter and Matilda in the basement so that she would face the soldiers and surrender, hopefully sparing them. Again, the soldiers cut her down without mercy both for being an elf and because she knew the truth behind the king's actions. They attempted to take Matilda and her sister away, likely to kill them too but less publicly, but the children used their magic to escape into the West Woods where the mistress had a cabin where she and her daughter would live. It was there that they would live for some time to come."

All of us were openly gaping save for Tabitha. The king of Albion had actually blatantly manipulated the laws so he could kill off someone who stood in his way between himself and further cash and resources? No wonder so many people were rebelling against the royal family, even if Wales was likely better than his father was.

"Still, Matilda had to support herself and her sister, but with so many soldiers looking for them, she had to leave the country," Foquet went on. "Since her name and features were being circulated to the other countries, she had to change them. She tried working menial jobs, but they didn't bring the money she needed to support two people nor would it buy the extra things needed to keep both of them safe. One day, Matilda heard of a noble who was bragging about a rare treasure he had managed to acquire. She was working as a waitress at the time so a few suave moves, chest bounce, and saucy winks made the man tell her everything she needed to know. So one night, she broke into the castle using her magic to change the walls or break down doors and she managed to make off with the treasure. By selling the item, she made more in that one night than she had in a month at the bar where she worked. It was more than enough to support the two for some time and best of all no one knew it was Matilda."

"And that was how Foquet the Crumbling Dirt was born," I finished. I could see just why Foquet…or rather Matilda was helping these Reconquista guys now. "They're holding your sister hostage aren't they?"

"Yes, but she doesn't know it," Foquet nodded. "If I help them, they will leave her alone."

"But haven't they tried to recruit her?" asked Guiche. "Being part elf she has to know that Ancient Magic, right?"

"If she does, she hasn't shown me, but Reconquista isn't going to risk it," Foquet replied. "One elf would be able to cripple much of their armies before they would be able to win. In war, resources are a key element and they cannot risk them all for one person. I know that too, but I don't want to put my sister at risk on a hope that she'd be able to get away."

It looked like Foquet—or Matilda—wasn't really a bad guy after all. She was just someone who got caught up in a bad situation. She loved her sister, wanted to help her, even if she had to be a thief. Of course she could be lying to gain our sympathy but, I dunno, I could sense that she was at least truthful. All that didn't sound made up. Her story was very consistent.

Did it make what she'd done right? No. But she had good reasons and was desperate. She had nobody else to turn to.

"So no love lost between you and the nobles of Albion then," I nodded.

"No," Foquet growled. "Those backstabbing worthless fops just started laying claims on Saxe-Gotha, trying to get as much of it as they could so they could reap the rewards. They had called themselves my father's friends, but the moment the king began slandering his name they stabbed him in the back and greedily snapped up everything of his they could get their hands on. Frankly, I'm not surprised Reconquista managed to convince them to rebel. All they had to do was tell them about all of the perks they'd get for their coffers and reputations by being the ones who run the country. They practically did anyway since the previous king let everyone else do everything for him. Everyone knew, but nobody said it since it would mean another slanderous charge."

"I've never heard any of this," Guiche gasped, listening to Foquet. "How could this be going on and no one was able to find out?"

"Because no one wanted to know or those that did were kept from the truth," I frowned. "Back in Tristain, there are a lot of rumours going about saying that some nobles have been abusing their authority and taking advantage of the commoners. They see it as their right to do whatever they want simply because of their titles. Henrietta wanted to investigate, but her advisors have been stonewalling her with assurances that no noble could abuse their power since a noble cannot morally do such. Sure Henrietta could have ordered it, but that would have put her in the bad books out in many of her subjects. That's probably how so many nobles got on board with the rebellion when they didn't think with their coffers. Their king refused to trust them and saw enemies in all of them no matter how loyal they were."

"Even in our own country?' Guiche gasped.

"It happens in all of the countries. No one wants to admit it," Foquet commented cynically. "Many nobles want to live in their perfect little worlds where they can do no wrong and everyone will bow backwards to please them. Then they react violently when someone questions it, even that bastard Cromwell believes that, seeing it as his destiny to rule Albion."

"Cromwell?" I blinked. Wasn't that the name the Water Spirit mentioned?

"Yes. The leader of Reconquista," Foquet nodded. Why she was telling us this I wasn't too sure but hey, if it helped me get that ring I wouldn't complain. "He's the one who started this whole mess, somehow getting it into his mind that he deserved to rule the country rather than the royal family. Once he does, I bet he'll try to attack the other countries too. His greed is boundless."

"You've seen him?" I asked, "Up close?"

"He's the one who personally told me to delay you, so yes," Foquet nodded.

"Do you know if he wears any rings? One with a regular band with a square gem in the centre?" I pressed.

"Definitely," Foquet nodded. "It's a tacky little thing that's silver with a dark purple stone. He fondles with that thing almost constantly when he's not out in public. Why are you so interested in it?"

"It's a magical ring, one that's said to be able to bring the dead back to life," I replied. "Who knows what else it can do beyond that."

"So, you want that ring then?" she asked.

"I made a promise to someone," I told her, "To get that ring back." I then looked at Foquet. I may not be able to convince her to help us, but now that she'd failed in her mission, again, her sister's life was possibly in danger and she might be made to suffer the consequences of Foquet's failure. And to convince her to help us, for Albion's sake, was definitely not going to work considering what had happened to her. But now that she was with us, she could help us. She wasn't a bad person, I know, but we couldn't really trust her. But maybe…maybe if we gave her a better opportunity she'd be more willing to listen. If I had known about her circumstances then maybe I wouldn't have supported the idea of her going to prison. However, she had tried to use the rocket launcher on us. I couldn't forget nor forgive that. Still, Reconquista was both our enemies now and as the old saying went 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'.

The question was how to word it so she'd accept.

* * *

><p><em>Louise fought against her own body as she stood in front of an altar next to Wardes with Prince Wales officiating the ceremony. Her day had turned to the absolute worst. She and Wardes had arrived in Albion without trouble and her fiancé had led her to an isolated church which she was told that Wales was making as a base of operations while he tried to continue commanding his forces in the civil war. Upon their arrival, they were surrounded by knights who held them at sword point, demanding who they were and what they were doing there. Louise announced herself and revealed her Water Ruby which Henrietta had given her. In turn, the leader of the knights recognized the Wind Ruby, revealing himself as Wales, a handsome blonde-haired man who was infamous for unintentionally stealing the hearts of many ladies.<em>

_She and Wales spoke in private with Louise handing a message to her from Henrietta. She had guessed that Henrietta had written, pleading Wales to go into exile so that he could survive and one day return to Albion. Wales hadn't said if she was right or not, but he did hand over the letter which Henrietta told her about. He also warned her of a group of nobles calling themselves Reconquista who had sparked off the civil war and incited the remaining nobles to overthrow the royal family. They manipulated the rebels from the background, likely not many knowing they even existed or how far their manipulations spread._

_After she left, she ran into Wardes who was pushier than ever, even so far as forcing her to remain in his arms and all but order her to do what he said. She tried to run, but instead ran into a man with curled blonde hair at his sides and green robes. He simply pointed his ring at her and mentioned something about the void. A purple flash later and she was no longer in control of her body. Now she was at the altar with Wardes who looked rather smug and nothing like the man she thought she would be married._

_Couldn't anyone tell that she wasn't acting right? Couldn't they see it in her eyes?-!_

'_Someone help me!'_

_WHAM!_

_The doors were unceremoniously kicked open._

* * *

><p><strong>Some Time Earlier…<strong>

We arrived at Albion with the dawn. Let me tell you, it was really fucking weird to see an island floating in the middle of the sky for absolutely no reason. I mean, it was still cool but also fucking weird at the same time. You think you know the image I'm talking about? Well let me tell you that T.V. shows have absolutely nothing on the real thing.

"So where do we land?" I asked, scooching up slightly to get a better look at the floating landmass.

"A port of course!" Kirche insisted. "Where else?"

"I wouldn't!" Foquet piped up. "Reconquista has spies in just about every major port and city in all of Albion. We stand out way too much like this. They'd notice us in a heartbeat and Wardes likely told them to keep an eye out for the blonde and the Medal user. He's not the kind to leave things to chance."

"Then we land in secret," I nodded. Why was Foquet being so helpful all of a sudden? Did she decide to stick with the side she thought would win or was she just using us for her goal of either getting back to her superiors or to land a blow against them for threatening her sister?

Nodding, Tabitha poked at Sylphid's head to get the dragon's attention before steering her to the sides of the floating country where we could land in secret or a least have enough distance between us and some kind of search party.

Airships patrolled the skies around the country, but didn't know if they were serving the royalty or the rebels. Still, we used Slyphid's much smaller size and speed to dodge around them while we looked for a safe spot. We thankfully managed to find one which was pretty much isolated with only the risk of some guerrilla soldiers coming to jump us from the hidden places. Where we had landed was a simple open field which looked like a farmer's field, but we couldn't spot a farm nearby. Slyphid simply picked a spot in the tall grass and settled down happily.

"Okay, so we're here," I commented as I slid of Slyphid's back. "Now do we have any ideas as to how we find Wardes and Louise? As far as I know, only Wardes knew where to find Wales."

"He didn't tell me where they were going to go," Foquet spoke, already guessing what she was going to be asked next. "I was just told to try and take you down or stall you at the very least back in the port city."

"So then we have no leads or any clues," Kirche huffed. "If we ask around then likely a spy will overhear us and send soldiers to attack since they don't want their operation interrupted."

"Actually," Guiche huffed as he helped Verdandi off of Slyphid's back with a small grunt. "I think I can help with that."

"You can?" asked Kirche. "How?"

"With Verdandi," Guiche explained, petting his giant mole's head. "You didn't see, but Louise was given a precious stone called the Water Ruby to show her connection to the princess when we would meet Wales. Verdandi adored it and once she gets the scent of a precious stone, she never forgets it. We can use her to track down Louise through her ring."

"From this distance?" I blinked. "Are you sure she can pull it off?"

"With the utmost confidence!" Guiche nodded, waving his rose in a dramatic flourish. Statement made, he leaned down and began whispering to Verdandi. After a moment, the mole made chuffing noises before seemingly beginning to sniff the air, or was it the ground? It was hard to say since her nose wasn't going in either direction. Finally though, Verdandi began digging into the ground with wild abandon, sinking into a hole before vanishing. A moment later, we could see a bulge in the ground growing longer as Verdandi dug into the distance.

"This way!" Guiche called, giving chase.

The rest of us, including Foquet, just blinked at the sight. Just how did a mole track a gemstone by scent? Wouldn't she have needed to be in a space that the gem was too? Well, then again Verdandi was a magic mole. Maybe she tracked gemstones through other means?

We didn't really question it as we gave chase after her, tugging Foquet as we went.

* * *

><p>We travelled a while feeling like we were going absolutely nowhere since we saw nothing but scenes of nature around us with only Verdandi disturbing the soil in front of us. I personally considered starting to use the Cheetah Medal to simply keep up with the blasted thing. How could a mole be so fast?<p>

We came across the church and Verdandi really seemed to want to get inside as she scratched at the door. Louise was in there? But why? Well, I wasn't going to waste time asking questions. If she was in trouble then I was going to help her. Drawing Derflinger, I charged at the double doors with the intent of hunting down Wardes and cleaning his clock before exposing him for the fraud that he was! Reaching the door, I reared back my foot and kicked them, making them both swing inside.

*WHAM!*

"WARDES!" I bellowed, stepping into the church, just spoiling for a fight.

The church wasn't unoccupied, which I had expected. Knights in suits of armour were standing at the walls behind the altar. At the altar itself as if officiating a ceremony was a man with short blonde hair dressed in a royal blue coat and white pants. He was definitely handsome and somehow I could just guess that this was Wales if his appearance and proud stance was any indication. At the altar though were Wardes and Louise, with the pinkette wearing a white veil and looking a little spaced out as everyone turned their eyes to me.

"What?-!" Wardes gasped. "How did you-?"

"Your majesty!" I shouted, turning to look at the man behind the altar. "Get away from that man! He's a member of Reconquista!"

The blonde man's eyes widened in sheer shock while Wardes looked like he was about to have a fit, but if it was from panic or rage I couldn't tell. The knights surrounding the group were instantly alert and drawing their weapons. If what I said was true or not didn't matter at the moment since they were in the middle of a civil war they couldn't take the chance that I was right or just lying and I was the Reconquista member looking to cause trouble.

Wardes cleared the confusion very quickly.

Roughly shoving Louise out of the way, making the girl squeak as she hit the ground, Wardes drew his sword wand and activated a spell that made it glow brightly. Taking it, he jabbed backwards and pierced Wales right through the gut. The prince gagged/gasped in shock with blood beginning to dribble out of his mouth a moment after the impact struck him. The knights around them froze, which my heart did at the same time as I watched blatant murder in front of me.

"Y-you…you were…" Wales gagged before he fell to the side with a loud thud.

"Your majesty!" Louise cried, her spacey look gone and back to full alertness as she raced to the downed prince's side.

My eyes were wide with shock as Wardes coldly murdered the prince but then I clenched my fists hard. This man, who had not only betrayed Princess Hanrietta but also Louise, planning to marry her against her will, and then killing Prince Wales in cold blood could not be forgiven. I clenched Derflinger's hilt tightly as I glared murderously at Wardes.

The rage I felt right now was like the anger I felt towards Mott but only tripled in intensity.

"You're too late, Gandalfr!" gloated Wardes. "I have completed the second part of my mission. I have Wales' death, the letter, and now all I need to do is claim both Louise and your artefacts before I leave."

"Oh no Wardes," I snarled, feeling my rage boil over while gripping Derflinger's hilt. "You won't be leaving this church alive!"

"Oh?" he smirked. "Then come at me, Gandalfr!" The traitor raised his sword again and waved it in front of him, creating a huge gust of wind that blew the knights attempting to restrain him all directions and crashing into walls. I grimaced and kept my feet despite the wind flying at me, but Wardes wasn't finished. Once clear, he pointed his wand at me before several lightning bolts fired out of it at me, holding enough juice to light more than a few houses.

"Partner!" Derflinger shouted, catching my attention. "Use me to block the spell!"

"Huh?" I blinked.

"Just do it!" the sword shouted.

Not sure why, I did just that and braced Derflinger with both hands as the electric attracks struck his edge. Rather than travel through the steel and hit me though, the blade just seemed to…absorb the attack instead. I didn't feel a spark or even a shock from the attack which hit the sword. The blade flashed and the voltage just vanished as he gulped the magic down.

"Tasty!" Derflinger snickered.

"How did-?" I gasped, even Wardes seemed stunned into stillness by what he had seen.

"I just remembered how to do it!" Derflinger answered. "Now come on Partner! Let's teach this guy a lesson!"

I was snapped back to reality and remembered my burning fury. Reaching into a pocket, I grabbed my O-Driver and strapped it to my waist, letting it snap into place.

"I won't let you!" Wardes shouted, throwing another high voltage spell at me. This one was bigger than the previous one and looked like it would hurt a whole lot more.

"You don't have a choice!" I shouted as I raised Derflinger to block the strike. This time the spell pushed me back but Derflinger still absorbed the spell, making it dwindle as the sword drank its magic. As the magic pushed against us, I braced myself and pushed my hand it my pocket while keeping the spell held off with one hand as best I could. I pulled my hand out of my pocket and glanced down at the palm of my hand. I had pocketed these three Core Medals beforehand since I knew I would need them against Wardes. As Wardes' attack dwindled down, I swiped the sword and dispelled the rest, leaving me facing the traitorous knight. I sheathed Derflinger and prepared to give him his punishment.

"No kid gloves," I growled, slotting the first Medal. "No holding back," I slotted the second," And no mercy!" I slotted the third and locked the Driver into place. Grabbing my O-Scanner, I brought it across the front with more chiming noises. "Henshin!"

"**RAION!**"

"**TORA!**"

"**CHEETAH!**"

"**RATA RATA…RATORA~TAH!**"

My armour formed composing of the three sections of yellow armour which I had only previously used in separate sections. Now they were all now combined into one suit, my Scorching Combo. The helmet unleashed a flash so bright, so blinding, that Wardes was forced to shield his eyes. However, the full Scorching Combo, the RaToraTah Combo, possessed the power known as Liodias. In a Random Combo the glow from the Raion Head was blinding, but in a Full Combo it released scorching heat along with the light.

"RAAAARGGGGHHHHHH!" I roared, the scorching light spreading as I continued to bellow.

The pew benches began to smoke and crackle as the heat attacked them. Wardes was in no better condition as he tried to use his cloak to shield himself but it was likewise smouldering. Portions of his face had turned red and I think I even burned some of his beard. His hair was certainly smoking enough.

Meh, I think I was going to enjoy this.

* * *

><p><em>Wardes grimaced, feeling his face burn and his clothes smouldering as he tried to block that infernal light as best he could. Where was this power coming from? It was nothing like what he had been subject to back in that port city! As aggravating as it was, he couldn't help but imagine what it would do for Reconquista once they got their hands on it. It could push their plans ahead by months if not a year! Add in Louise's power and their plans could be years ahead of schedule!<em>

_He had to get them!_

_Clenching his eyes, he pointed his sword wand at the source of the light and unleashed another thunderbolt spell, hoping it would actually hit and stop the blasted light so he could hit properly. The electric voltage surged through the air towards the source of the light and this time Wardes heard an explosion and the light winked out._

"_Ah, got him," he smirked, looking up to see his handiwork as the smoke began to clear. He wanted to see the stupid boy laid out on the ground and when the smoke cleared he saw…nothing? "What?-!"_

"_What are you aiming at, hm?"_

_Wardes quickly turned around to face the voice behind him, but all he saw was a flash of yellow before pain erupted in his face._

* * *

><p>"ARGH!"<p>

Wardes stumbled back, clutching his left eye with blood already beginning to trick between his fingers. When the jerk had tried that electric spell on me, I decided to take a little run and used my Cheetah Legs to get behind him while he thought he hit me. I also unsheathed my Tora Claws and took a shot at him which resulted in the scratch across his face.

Seeing that dawning horror on his face was so funny. I loved it when my opponents realized that they were screwed.

"Not looking so pretty anymore there pal," I grinned. "Let's say I give you a matching set just to even things out?"

I was so going to enjoy this.

* * *

><p><em>Louise watched next to the dead body of Wales as her familiar fought her…ex-fiancee. Wardes was likely half blind now and Matthew was not likely going to let him leave. His personality changed again, seeing as he was using a Combo and one she hadn't seen until now. Before he transformed, he was incredibly angry and looked ready to tear Wardes apart with his bare hands. Now though, it seemed that he was almost…lazy, but there was a kind of malice hidden underneath of it that made shivers run down Louise's spine.<em>

_And then the images…_

_The last time Matthew had become so furious, she saw images of strange monsters lounging about her room, each more macabre than the rest. She had long since guessed that they were those Greeed creatures that he had told her that his ancestor had created for his ambitions. Now though, every so often the image of her yellow and black Familiar would swap out with the metallic grey and black cat-like monster which would act like her Familiar was now._

…_or was her Familiar acting more like it? Was this the Greeed which the yellow Core Medals came from? If it was, she prayed that she never meet it._

_She likely wouldn't survive the encounter._

* * *

><p>"Die!" Wardes shouted at me, unleashing a whirlwind from his sword.<p>

Not that it hit me. I was already at another part of the room before the attack had reached where I had been standing a moment ago. Man, this guy was sooooo slow. It was funny. If I wasn't so intent on making his life hell, I figured I'd toy around with him a little. As it was, for what he did, I was going to make this as painful as I possibly could.

Dashing forward as a blur of yellow, I reached Wardes as he was turning to look for me. The only reason he saw me at all was because I was coming on his right side which still had a good eye. He turned to strike at me, but I was way faster and I slugged him in the face. He made a funny choking noise as he stumbled back further, blood beginning to leak from his nose.

"Mah, mah, this is just getting boring," I sighed. "But…against the power of a king, trash like you just can't compete."

"Trash, am I?" Wardes snarled. "I am the man who intends to rule all of Halkenginia! No, the world! I have the power! I can do it!" He turned his gaze to Louise, who flinched back in fear. "Louise! Stand with me! Together we can have it all! Your void magic and my strategic mind, we can take everything!"

Louise looked more than a little frightened, which kind of bothered me to be honest. Was it of me or Wardes? Oh well.

"I refuse," Louise frowned, teary eyed. She was standing protectively in front of Wardes' body, likely wanting to keep it from being defaced any further. "You are not the man I fell in love with! You're just a greedy, backstabbing murderer!"

"All of which are necessary to survive," Wardes frowned. "It's an ugly world out there and one must do whatever they can to get ahead and survive!"

"Spoken like a true quitter," I chuckled, getting Wardes to turn to me. "You decided it took too long and was too much work to become the powerful figure you dream of being so you decided to just start killing everyone who was in your way and simply take it. Man, what a lazy, greedy, piece of trash you are."

Just like the king who tried to use the Greeed's power, overtaken by desire, wanting more and more simply because he felt that he deserved it. What an idiot.

"Trash? TRASH?-!" Wardes growled, standing up. "Trash wouldn't be able to reach the goals I have! Trash wouldn't be able to command the power I do!"

This guy was losing it. "Trash can do a lot when nobody notices it."

"Well then," Wardes frowned, reaching into his cloak. "Let's see trash do this!" He quickly brought out a letter which I assumed to be from Henrietta and thus the focus of the mission. However with it was… a CELL MEDAL?-!

"What the-?-!" I gasped, but then realization hit me. "It was you…you were the one who stole those Cell Medals!"

"Yes, and we're happy to have them," Wardes nodded. "Foquet told us so much about them. A veritable army at our fingertips but we're saving them for a special occasion. However, I managed to sneak one out. I'd say this is the perfect chance to test it."

I couldn't see what image was on the Cell Medal since the backside was facing me. However, as Wardes took the Medal and brought it over the letter, a Medal Insertion Slot appeared on the paper. That alone told me what I was dealing with. Smirking, Wardes dropped the Medal into the slot and let it vanish. Energy crackled across the surface of the letter, bringing out a flash of light which became a huge oval. Once it was big enough, it took on a humanoid image before forming into the body of a Yummy.

This Yummy stood close to six and a half feet tall and looked like it as filled out with raw muscle. Its legs ended in three-toed feet that had black nails. Around the ankles were spiked manacles with broken chains on them. The arms were similar muscled and had similar manacles on them with broken chains dangling from them. The majority of its body was covered in grey skin while the chest area was covered in a faded yellow colour. Around its waist was a black strip of leather with chains decorating it. The centre of the belt had a purple disk acting a as a buckle with a similar disk sitting in the centre of its chest. The shoulders looked like bone domes were growing out of them with ridges running along the edges. The Yummy's face was faded yellow with purple markings near the cheek bones which looked like dinosaur tracks. The mouth was set in a deep manly frown while the eyes were obscured by a helmet which looked like a dinosaur which had a beak-like mouth, a bone dome on the top with ridges running around the dome and down to its snout. I actually recognized what kind of dinosaur this was, having played a game with it as one of the enemies. This was a Pachycephalosaurs Yummy.

"Ah man," I groaned. "More work."

"It seems my guess was right, this letter did have enough desire attached to it to work," Wardes smirked. He looked to the Pachcephalo Yummy while it continued glaring at me. "Minion, destroy my enemy and claim his artefacts!"

"Hrn!" the Yummy snorted, raising its arm and…

*POW!*

…backhanded Wardes in the chest. The force sent the traitorous knight clear off the ground before he crashed right through the stained glass which was behind the altar and landed somewhere outside. At the Yummy's feet, the letter which created it had fluttered down to the carpet. Wardes had dropped it when he had been struck by the Yummy.

That was so cool I couldn't put it into words.

"I have more important things to do than play to another's whims," the Pachycephalo Yummy grunted as it began gazing at the still down knights that were at the edges of the room. I was cautious since I didn't know what this Yummy was capable of. Dinosaur Yummies usually gained abilities based of what beast they were formed after as well as what object they were spawned from.

The Yummy seemed content to ignore me for the moment. Instead, it began to beat its chest and create shockwaves which spread over the room. I anticipated it being an attack, but it was something else entirely. When the waves touched the knights, each of them began to glow. To my shock, from each of them what looked like a glass statue depicting a woman appeared. They were all different and no two looked alike. Some were dressed conservatively, others in elaborate dresses, one was pregnant, and one looked like an exotic dancer of some kind. Regardless, all of the statues floated towards the Yummy and took a stationary position in front of it.

"Love is an illusion," it grunted. "You're better off without it." The with a mighty swing from its muscled arms, it shattered all of the statues at once, letting the pieces drop to the ground.

I for one was a little confused. Now, I could understand why it did what it did. The Pachycephalo Yummy was born out of a love letter which was formed of the desire for two lovers to be together, if only in spirit. The Yummy itself likely just destroyed the bond between the knights and the women they loved. But, why didn't anything happen to me and...oh wait. Louise had fallen out of love with Wardes and I didn't have anyone personally…even though I was certainly interested in a few girls like that cute little Tabitha. She was such a demure little kitten and…wait, I was distracting myself.

"Mah, mah," I sighed. "Such a bleak view of love," The Pachycephalo Yummy perked up and looked at me. "I may not be in love personally, but I know that I certainly couldn't live without it."

"You would get in my way?" the Yummy growled, stepping over the glass shards towards me.

"Yup!" I grinned cheekily behind my mask.

"Then I'll crush you!" the Yummy bellowed, charging at me.

Instead of running up to me, the Pachycephalo Yummy leaned forward as it ran to strike me with a headbutt. However, that was the most of it I saw of it before it became a grey blur and impacted me with a high speed headbutt. The force took me off my feet as the Yummy just kept pushing and sent me to the opposite side of the church where we both hit the door and took our fight outside.

The Yummy stopped running and let the momentum take me further before I skidded across the dirt. The speed made me slightly dizzy, but I wasn't going to simply lay back and let this thing bulldoze me all over the place.

"Hey, that hurt," I sighed, sitting up.

"Grrrrrrr," the Yummy snarled at me.

"Something wrong with your throat?" I chuckled, but that didn't seem to make the Yummy any more pleasant.

The Pachycephalo Yummy merely and charged at me again in another grey blur. This time I was ready as I used my own advanced speed and got out off the way. The Yummy continued on and smashed through a tree, letting it groan in an almost painful way as it fell to the ground. However, I wasn't able to appreciate it since the Yummy had quickly readjusted its course and the two of us were dashing around the area in attempts to strike each other. I had my Tora Claws out and was slashing at the thing, but it managed to keep dodging, redirecting the blows to its shoulders or head, before it would strike back with muscled punches. I seriously didn't want to be hit by those. They looked like that they would hurt!

Honestly, how could something so heavy-looking be so fast? It was like fighting a charging rhino. Man, this was just more work I didn't want.

The Pachycephalo Yummy and I skidded to a halt, squaring off against one another. For something that was only fighting with its bare hands, it wasn't doing half bad. That kinda sucked for me though. I wondered how I would get myself out of this one?

When I was considering what to do next, the Yummy suddenly perked up as if it had smelled something sweet. That was…odd, certainly. Suddenly, the Yummy dashed out again but went right past me. I turned around to see just what had got its attention and quickly noticed a group of faces who were peering through the bushes at the fight. Guiche, Kirche, Foquet, Verdandi, and adorable little Tabitha were all hiding in the bushes where I had told them to keep an eye out for any attackers.

"Hold it buster!" I called, dashing after the Yummy.

I almost reached the Yummy, but it then in turned and backhanded me in the face as I got close enough. I landed on my back with a loud thud, seeing stars. I knew that thing would hit hard. Ow…

The Yummy reached my group of friends and one prisoner before it reached out and snatched Guiche up by his shirt. The boy shrieked in an effeminate matter…translated as girly. Kirche and Tabitha picked up their wand and staff respectively while Foquet backed off, unable to do anything since her arms were still chained. The Yummy removed a hand and slammed its chest with its fists. The shockwave knocked the women off of their feet, but it made Guiche stiffen.

Shaking my head, I looked to see what the Yummy was doing. I spotted that the centre of Guiche's chest glowing brightly. Soon enough, a glass statue emerged from his chest in the form of Montmorency. Well, that perhaps answered the question of who Guiche…

Then a second statue of Siesta came out.

Then one of Kirche.

Then one of that Katie girl.

Then one of Foquet.

Then one of Foquet in her Longueville persona.

"Hm, that's odd," I muttered.

More and more glass statues emerged from Guiche's chest. Each one of them depicted a girl from the academy or a woman he likely ran into at a social function he had been to. I think I recognized one of them as a girl Guiche had ran off to flirt with when we were at in the inn at La Rocher. One of them I did recognize as that hot merchant lady we met when we were getting supplies. A veritable parade of female statues emerged from the playboy's chest. The Pachycephalo Yummy was stunned by all of the glass statues that surrounded it. There were so many it seemed to have confused it as to what to do next.

"So…many," it gasped out.

Chance!

I leapt to my feet and let the Tora Claws come out again before I charged at the Yummy. Dashing past the growing mob of statues, I came straight to the Yummy's back. Rearing my arms back, I dug my claws into the Yummy's sides like a dino-kebab, spilling out some Cell Medals in the process. The beastly shriek the Yummy let out was…satisfying. It dropped Guiche quickly, letting the statues return to leap back into his chest like falling stars. Digging my claws in deeper, I steered the Yummy away from my friends before kicking it away.

The Pachycephalo Yummy hit the dirt and rolled away with some Cell medals hitting the dirt around it. I didn't let up though. I suppose it's the vindictive streak in me. Speeding up to the recovering Yummy, I lashed out with a series of kicks that blured as I moved and made the Yummy's head rattle like a punching bag. More cell Medals spilled out before I smashed my heel into its face, making it sprawl backwards.

"Well,' I sighed folding my arms behind my head. The Yummy struggled to its knees, making gurgling/growling noises as it did so. "I guess what they say is true, all it takes is a single action to change the tide of battle."

The Yummy stood up, but looked uneasy. I certainly wasn't going to let it get its second wind. Reaching to my side, I grabbed the O-Scanner and swiped it across the Driver.

"**SCANNING CHARGE!**"

* * *

><p><em>Yellow rings projected in front of OOO. He then rushed through them towards the Yummy. As he was close enough, his entire helmet flashed with the blinding light of Liodias. The Yummy howled and struggled to see and OOO roared, "SEE-YAH!" before swinging his Tora Claws at it. The claws shone with intense heat and light before they struck the Yummy and cut through it like a hot knife through butter. The beast let out an ungodly scream before exploding into a haze of heat and a shower of Cell Medals.<em>

_The explosion echoed through the area, making everything else seem quiet save for the deep breathing OOO was doing as he stood up from his stance. _

_Foquet couldn't stop herself from gulping at the sight. She had seen something similar happen to her golem but seeing the savage fight occur between the monster and that armoured boy was something else altogether._

"_Wha…what happened?" Guiche moaned, returning to his senses._

"_You were almost made a victim of a Yummy aiming to sever your bonds of love," OOO teased, sounding somewhat immature despite being winded. "But so many loves showed up you confused it. I guess it's a good thing you're such a playboy after all."_

"_Uh…what?" Guiche mumbled, obviously still somewhat out of it._

"_You'll get it," OOO laughed before he turned to look back to the church. "Hey Louise! You still alive in there?"_

_A creak came from the door and Louise poked her head out of the church door, looking a little pale, "Is everything safe?"_

"_Yup," OOO nodded, folding his arms behind his head. "Do you have the letter?"_

_Louise nodded, holding up the letter which the group had been struggling so hard to find. They had it now, but Prince Wales was dead and one of the most famous knights to come out of Tristain had turned out to be a traitor._

"_Wardes is gone," Louise added. "I looked out the window while the fight was going on and he wasn't there. I think he ran for it."_

"_Ah let him run," OOO shrugged. "The guy killed a prince. I doubt any country except Albion would be willing to have him. He'd be arrested anywhere else. I'm just glad we don't have to deal with him. He was so annoying."_

_Unable to contain herself, Louise threw herself at her Familiar and hugged him tight. Slowly, OOO put his arms around his shorter Master. She had been through a lot and would need to rest._

"_Let's go home," OOO said to her._

* * *

><p>It was a solemn group which was heading back to Tristain on the back of Slyphid let me tell you. We were all a little down, even Foquet. Not even the pack of Cell Medals I had on my back made me feel any better. Louise was just pressed into my right side with tear tracks on her cheeks while Kirche had my left arm over her shoulder. I didn't try to fight her off since she wasn't flirting and was looking for her own comfort. Guiche and Foquet were atop of Verdandi while we were leaning against the large mole. Tabitha was of course and at Slyphid's head, seemingly the most unresponsive out of all of us.<p>

When the knights recovered from what Wardes and the Pachycephalo Yummy did, they told us that they would take their prince's body to be buried privately with his ancestors. However, anyone could have guessed that they were demoralized with the death of their leader. Louise told me that in his last moments, Prince Wales had given the Ruby of Wind to her as to give Henrietta a memento of him. The knights allowed her to keep it to honour their prince's last wishes.

When we were preparing to leave, Foquet decided that she would turn herself in to Tristain authority, specifically Henrietta herself. She claimed to have a lot of information on Reconquista which Tristain could use if or when they decided to assist Albion following the death of their prince. Supplying such vital information was a good chance of getting her some leniency since she was just a thief and Reconquista were an organization of killers. Letting her go would be the much lesser of two evils. Once free, she would be able to try and watch over her sister again.

Still, it didn't take away the horror and depression we felt at seeing someone murdered in front of our eyes.

"Why?" asked Louise, wearing both royal rings on her fingers. "Why do people do things like this?"

"Because a lot of people are selfish and delude themselves into thinking that they deserve the things they want and simply taking them through such means is okay," I sighed. "It's not right. It never is but again people tell themselves that it's okay. The ends justify the means and all that."

"Mn," Louise sniffled, snuggling closer. It wasn't a pleasant answer, but it was an honest one.

"Like your ancestor?" asked Kirche.

"Like him," I nodded. "The best we can do is stay vigilant and keep people like that from getting the best of us."

"And we will," Louise spoke resolutely, steel in her voice.

That was all I needed to hear to know she'd be okay.

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, chapter twelve is up for your viewing pleasure. Kudos to my editor Kamen Rider Chrome for sniffing out what erros he could. For those of you who question it, I made up Matilda's backstory from what information from her background that I could get. I thought it would give her more character depth.


	13. Chapter 13

I do not own Familiar of Zero or Kamen Rider OOO. Those belong to their respective creators and not me.

**Familiar of ZerOOO**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**CHAPTER 13: The Zero, The War, and the Way Home**

Another day was going on at the academy and I was finding myself being idle again as I tried to find ways to keep myself occupied. Louise had been depressed lately and it had made me depressed in turn and I was trying to find something to get my spirits up. I hadn't been sleeping to well lately since I kept having nightmares about seeing Wales being run through by Wardes' sword. Always his eyes would stare at me and keep asking that silent question.

_Why weren't you able to save me?_

I could have. If I had transformed before I stormed into the church I could have just charged forward or shot at Wardes to keep him from doing anything funny. Instead I just stormed the place without any regard for preparation and had to watch as Wales died in front of me.

Worse yet, the mission turned out to have been wasted. Henrietta sent word to us that somehow the Germanian King had heard about the letter and on sheer hearsay, cancelled the engagement between himself and Henrietta. That didn't help our mood any either. Although it did make me feel slightly better to hear Kirche rant about how ignorant her king was when she heard the news about the cancellation. What worried me about hearing that though was the thought that Reconquista had their fingers in much more than just Albion if they were capable of getting that information to the Germanian King.

In order to keep my mind off things for at least a little while, I decided to polish Derflinger and the Core Medals. I was wearing a new outfit courtesy of Quinn, ironically this one was based on the RaToraTah Combo, which was the last Full Combo I had used. The jacket was yellow with black stripes patterned tastefully on the sleeves with the RaToraTah symbol on the back. The three individual Medal symbols were like the others on the left side of the front over my heart. White fur lined the collar, making this jacket perfect for colder days like it had been so far. The inner shirt was black, but it had a yellow vest to make myself look more presentable. I didn't want to wear it considering I had no social functions but Louise insisted since her Familiar's looks reflected on her. The pants were black with yellow cheetah-like spots running down the sides and ended where the pant legs did. A cheery outfit in a way, which most certainly did not match my mood.

"Hey Partner, you know you really shouldn't beat yourself up too much about what happened in Albion," Derflinger piped up as I polished his blade. "There's not much you can do about it now."

"I know that in my head," I sighed. "But in my heart it's a different story. There's always doubts about what I could've done."

"Well, I bet there's something that could make you feel better," my sword retorted.

"Punching Wardes' face inside out?" I offered.

"What, gouging out his eye wasn't enough?" Derflinger chuckled. "Nah, I was thinking about the Germanian girl. She seems like she's good at giving comfort. I figured you could go and talk to her about your troubles."

I blinked and looked at my sword with an eyebrow raised. Now, I could take that at face value and think he was just suggesting I talk to a friend about what happened and see if she had any ideas. However, the amusement he had in his voice when he suggested it to me just seemed to make it more of an innuendo than anything.

"You know, for a sword you're pretty good and throwing out innuendos like that," I commented flatly.

"Years of practice!" the sword laughed.

"Speaking of years," I commented. "That trick you did by absorbing Wardes' attack against me. Just what was that? How'd you do it?"

"Oh that?" Derflinger asked. "Oh that was just a trick I had been created to do. I can swallow up magic like its candy! It takes me a little longer to swallow Square Class magic but I can even deal with that too."

"Okay. That'll come in handy," I smiled. "So do you have any other tricks tucked away that I should know about?"

"Well, it's been a long time since I used them, but I'm pretty sure that I have something tucked away. I just have to remember it," Derflinger answered. If he were capable of shrugging, he would have. "I always remember stuff though! I just need a little time and it'll come to me."

"Oh…the anticipation," I snickered.

Well, it served to get my mind off of my depression, wondering what other abilities Derflinger had locked up in whatever passed for a mind with him. It seemed there was more to my little friend than I thought there had been. Of course, I always knew that a sword as unique as Derflinger had to have some kind of special abilities. I just never counted on something as cool as eating magic.

"Matthew!"

Glancing up from my work, I spotted Siesta. The girl had been a welcome source of company since coming back from Albion. I had to swear her to secrecy in order to protect the reputation of the princess, but I was able to tell her what had gone down. She was horrified to hear what had happened to Wales and committed by none other than a famous face in the Tristain military. For a few days after I told her of the events, she would take her break time by finding me and just giving me some silent company when I was by myself. It made me glad to have a friend like her. Today she was wearing a simple white blouse and a red skirt rather than her uniform. She was also carrying a suitcase with her.

"Hi Siesta," I nodded. "Going somewhere?"

"Yes," the maid nodded. "My vacation time has started so I was going to go to my hometown of Tarbes."

"Ah, well happy trails then," I smiled. "I hope you have a good time."

"Actually…" Siesta began, fidgeting with the handle of her bag. "I was hoping…I was wonder if…you'd like to…visit Tarbes…with me?"

I actually almost dropped Derflinger at that. Blinking, I looked at the maid's face. She was blushing and looking anywhere but at me. Apparently this was a big deal to her and she had mustered up the courage to try and invite me along. Why she did, I had no idea. Still, how was I going to get out of this?

"Well…uh…" I began, really unsure of what to do. "Tarbes…sounds nice, but… I'm not sure if Louise is going to be willing to let me go."

"It can just be a day trip," Siesta offered quickly. "You can come back tonight and she likely won't notice you were gone."

"And if she does then she'll throttle me," I replied. I'll need to ask permission from Louise about this but I was reluctant to go as well. On one hand it would be impolite to refuse a friendly invitation like that and Siesta was just trying to repay me for all the stuff I've done for her, mainly about how I had saved her from Count Mott. Then there was the fact that I couldn't leave Louise alone right now. Her noble pride would not allow her to be seen crying by her 'lowly Familiar' but on the other hand I knew that she needed a friend and someone to support her.

Maybe I could kill two birds with one stone. I just hoped Louise was in the mood.

* * *

><p>I knocked on the door and received a soft, "Enter," from the other side. I steeled myself for the violent onslaught of curses and screams if my plan failed but I needed to remind myself that this was for Louise's good as well. It wasn't healthy for her to stay cooped up like this.<p>

Slowly pushing the door open, I spotted Louise lying facedown on her bed with her face buried in her pillow. I sighed. She was definitely still miserable after what had happened. She pretty much had her world turned upside down. Wardes, whom she had loved and accepted as her fiancé had turned into a traitor and also Wales had been killed because she'd been careless. Even worse, despite completing the mission we failed it anyway. I could reason that there was nothing she could've done. Wardes had us all fooled, even if I had been suspicious of that asshole. Still, I could've at least warned her or something so she'd be better prepared. At least she hadn't taken the Core Medals with her and Wardes. That would be disastrous, as if it hadn't been disastrous enough when we discovered that Wardes had a pot of Cell Medals to create a horde of Yummy.

Despite not being able to control the dinosaur-type Yummy, that creature had been a powerful opponent. If it hadn't gotten distracted by Guiche I probably wouldn't have been able to defeat it at worst or would have been beaten up far worse than it was. As a favour, I swore not to tell Montmorency that he had a lot of girls in his heart. The guy had been through enough already. Although I had to admit he really pulled through on his mission with Verdandi and holding off Foquet.

Sitting on the bed with my back facing Louise I said, "So, Siesta invited me to visit her village." I looked over my shoulder for a reaction and she turned her head to look at me. Her single visible eye was bloodshot from all the crying.

"So, will you be going?" she asked. There was a hint of betrayal and I assumed that she must think I was abandoning her. "Then go, if you want."

"Actually, I want you to come along with us," I said to her. Now I had her attention as she stared at me in surprise. "Look, it's not healthy for you to stay in here crying all the time."

"How can I not cry?" she asked me, trying to raise her voice, but it came out hoarse. She probably had been crying for a long time. I poured her a glass of water from a jug and handed it to her. She took the offered drink and gulped it down. "I failed Her Highness and my carelessness caused Prince Wales' death."

"Wardes was the one who caused his death," I reminded. "He had us all fooled."

"I should've known, though. He was acting oddly when we were heading towards Albion together," said Louise. "I think it was because I didn't have your Core Medals with me. He did take the Cell Medals so he might have tried to take the Core Medals too."

"Yeah, even if he can't use them like me his gang might've figured out a way to use them," I said. Like maybe summon the Greeed and use them for their own purposes. As if the Greeed would go along with their plans. They were, like the Yummies, would only be driven by desire. However, unlike the Yummy, they could actually plan, rationalize, know what was good and bad for them, and act accordingly to all of it. The Greeed didn't want to conquer, they wanted to consume. Yummies may have some level of intelligence but that was mainly linked to the desires which spawned them. They were driven by the obsession and thought of nothing else, and would take down anyone who would interfere, like myself. "So, do you want to visit Tarbes with me and Siesta? She's planning on visiting family."

"Will it be long?" Louise asked me.

"Not long, but its way better than staying here crying," I told her.

* * *

><p><em>Kirche was pacing back and forth in Tabitha's room, biting her thumb as she was scheming. Well, scheming was an ugly word. Plotting? Formulating? OK, formulating a plan. She wanted to help cheer up her darling. No doubt he'd been affected emotionally by what had occurred in Albion. Prince Wales' assassination must weigh heavily on Matthew and Louise's heart and while Kirche and the Valliere girl were not exactly friends the redhead couldn't help but sympathize with her. After all, she had just discovered that her beloved fiancé had been nothing but a two-faced traitor.<em>

_And Kirche knew what a broken heart felt like. Before she had met Matthew she would string guys along but only because it made sure she wouldn't end up with a broken heart. There had been someone she loved back in Germania but unfortunately he had not returned her feelings as he loved another. Kirche had been heartbroken when he told her that. Since then she never planned on getting into any serious relationship and just enjoying herself with flings and one-night stands with a warm bed mate._

_But then Matthew came into her life. She had the urge to steal him away from Louise and she loved a challenge but then overtime she realised how loyal he was to his master. That was admirable, and he even fought Wardes to avenge Louise's heart which had been shattered by Wardes' betrayal and Wales' death at the hands of the traitor. The flames of his red armour made her heart skip a beat, seeing him in battle always made her swoon, and his humility despite having such powerful magic was heart warming. All of it together just made her want to drag him back to Germania and run to the altar with him._

_He really did deserve a noble title for all his actions. And Kirche knew just the way to make it happen._

* * *

><p>Siesta seemed to be perfectly fine with having Louise accompany us since she also knew how broken up the pinkette had been about the events in Albion. Although, she seemed a little put out by the fact that Louise and I shared a horse while she had to ride by herself. Tarbes wasn't too far away so the trip wouldn't take too long. I actually found the wild scenery to be a pleasant change from the fancy halls of the academy.<p>

"It's this way!" Siesta called to us, leading the way down the roads.

"We're right behind you!" I called back.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Louise asked sceptically.

"Yes," I nodded. "You need to get away from the pressures of the school and the memory of Albion. So while we're in Tarbes just forget about being a noble and just enjoy meeting new people and seeing new things. No one will judge you here and word definitely won't reach any noble ears. I mean, would a noble ever come out here?"

"Mn, well a vacation sounds like a good idea I suppose," Louise sighed. She could see the logic in why I wanted her to come and if I had to guess, the appeal of having no social pressures on her shoulders sounded really good at the moment.

Siesta took us along many dirt roads until we reached the top of a hill. Ahead of us at the bottom was the small town of Tarbes. It wasn't large by any means, but it definitely looked like one of those picturesque small towns that people back home would like to read about when they got the chance. All of the buildings were white with orange tile roofing, which made them all look nice. The tallest building in the town was either a government building, a church, or a mansion but the rest were much more simple and humble. Large green fields were populating the space around the town and the only trees were the ones decorating around the homes.

"Here we are," Siesta smiled.

"Looks nice," I smiled. It reminded me of my old hometown back when I was a little kid. I could already picture it. Everyone knew everyone, life was simple and peaceful. Sure there was work to be done most of the day but when it was all said and done, there was a nice home to come back to and fun to be had. There were plenty of peers to talk to in all age groups and just enough space to give you privacy when you needed it.

"It does look nice," Louise admitted. I suspect she had been expecting some dirt hovel or something filled with people whose hands were continuously dirty and didn't bother to clean themselves. Or was that my stereotyping what Louise thought of commoners?

"Thank you," Siesta beamed. "I'll take you all to my house. I can introduce you to my family!"

Suddenly, my gut sank but I wasn't sure why.

* * *

><p>"<em>I tell you my plan is flawless!" Kirche boasted as she travelled through the woods on horseback. With her on their own horses were Guiche and Tabitha. "With this map, we can discover the legendary Dragon's Raiment, sell it off, and use the money so that Darling can be ordained as a noble so that nothing can stop us from being together, not even Louise!"<em>

_Tabitha merely nodded, but Guiche was all nods, "Brilliant! And with any leftover money, I can buy Montmorency a gift so she'll take me back!"_

_Guiche had gotten himself in trouble again with his girlfriend, but for once he was completely innocent. Montmorency was sure that he had run off to shack up with some other girl while he had been away from the school. In truth, he had been in Albion fighting to complete a mission for the princess. He tried to tell her that, but she didn't believe a word of it. So now Guiche was trying to get a gift so he could get back in her good graces and when he overheard Kirche speaking to Tabitha about a treasure hunt, he invited himself along for a share of the profits._

"_Yes, yes," Kirche waved the playboy off. "But Darling's needs come first!"_

"_Of course," Guiche nodded. If he agreed with that statement or not was debatable, but he was willing to go along with the plan. "So where is the Dragon's Raiment?"_

"_According to my map," Kirche answered, raising a browned piece of paper, "It's near a small town called Tarbes. We can begin there."_

_Guiche and Tabitha nodded._

* * *

><p>As promised, Siesta had introduced us to her family. Her house was like the others, a simply white house with an orange tile roof that had a few fields behind it, indicating that they were farmers. The nearby barn kind of made that shift from obvious to painfully so.<p>

Siesta's family itself was actually rather large. Her father Archibald was a well-muscled guy with black hair and blue eyes who wore simple farming clothes from day to day. He had an easy smile on his lips and seemed to like me. He reminded me of someone but I wasn't sure who. Her mother Marie was a demure and slightly shorter woman who had dark brown hair tied into a working braid. She wore loose clothes and she was also pregnant to the point she looked like was about to pop. I was told that it was to be her seventh child.

Yes, you read right.

Siesta was the eldest of six, soon to be seven, children. All of them had black hair and blue eyes inherited from their father which Marie jokingly said vexed her since all of her children took after their father rather than her. Their ages ranged from twelve all the way down to four. I could see the strong resemblance of the three girls to Siesta, albeit with younger looks and different hairstyles while the two boys looked like beardless, less muscular versions of their father.

They were polite and respectful to Louise, instantly pegging her as a noble but once Louise revealed she was there to simply get away from the stresses of her life and didn't want to be all formal they relaxed a little more around her. Me on the other hand they seemed to accept with open arms. The children 'ooh-ed' and 'ahh-ed' around me and asked me all sorts of questions like if I was really a prince, could I use magic, would I show them my magic, and in the case of Siesta's younger sister Glory, would I take her away to my castle and marry her.

Siesta had been telling stories about me it seemed. She had admitted that she wrote letters back to her family, telling them about all the things going on at the academy. She didn't leave out any details about me, it seemed.

So while Louise was being pestered by the youngest children who simply adored her hair while Marie and Siesta tried to keep at least some order, I was left out of my element while Archibald chuckled at the sight next to me.

"So, Matthew," Archibald spoke to me, "What do you think about my eldest daughter?"

"Siesta?" I blinked, looking to the bearded man. "She's been a pretty good friend to me when I needed one. When I first got here no one was really that inclined to be nice to me save for her and two others. It wasn't until I showed off my powers that I began to get treated well."

"She is the type to reach out to a person in need," Archibald agreed. "She takes after her mother that way. I can tell she's going to be an excellent wife and mother once she decides to settle down."

"That'll be a lucky guy I imagine," watching as the young girls cuddled into Louise, wanting to touch her hair. This guy wasn't being subtle with me. He was all but trying to convince me to hook up with Siesta and maybe even marry her.

"Yes. I didn't want her to work at the academy as a maid you know," Archibald sighed. "You hear all sorts of rumours of nobles keeping maids as mistresses and ruining their chances of any kind of proper marriages or they end up siring bastard children and getting thrown out to starve. I was terrified that would end up happening to Siesta."

"That does sound bad," I nodded. It would have been best to not mention that incident with Mott then. Archibald struck me as the type of guy who'd take out a shotgun, or in this case a Big Fucking Sword, and go postal on any hormonal boy who thought they could lay a hand on his little girl. Maybe it was his muscles, or the way he seemed to show his emotions without much restraint but that was the vibe I was getting from him. Of course, if I gave the wrong signals he'd point that weapon at me and make sure I walked up to the altar with Siesta waiting for me. As if one parent shopping for a husband for their child wasn't enough with Lady Zerbst. Was it me? I was never this popular back home.

"Mhmm," Archibald nodded. "You know, sleeping at the academy can't be all that comfortable if all you have is a patch of straw like Siesta told us."

I guess Siesta wasn't one to skimp on details either.

"If you'd like to, you're of course welcome to come here," the man continued, glancing at me. "Perhaps if you did, Siesta wouldn't have to work at the school anymore."

"Uh…" I blinked. Okay, he was all but outright asking me to move into their house with them and marry Siesta. Talk about a bomb being dropped on my lap. Alarms were going off in my head screaming out '_RED ALERT! RED ALERT!_'

"So what do you think?" asked Siesta's father.

Okay Matt, time to think fast!

"Well, the offer is pretty generous," I admitted. "At the moment though I am kind of under contract with Louise and I don't really want to just ditch her. I'd like to think I'm the kind of guy who sticks with his loyalties."

"I understand," Archibald nodded, but his smile faded slightly. Oh I could guess he was disappointed. Siesta had no doubt written a lot about me and obviously he was hoping I'd be the man who'd bring her back to Tarbes and settle down. "Yeah, it's a shame though. A lot of the local boys are really interested in her but she's never held much interest in them. You're the first boy she's shown any amount of interest in for a long time. Marie and I are really hoping you'd be the one for her."

"Well, only time can really tell," I shrugged. "We'll see what happens."

"That's all we can do I suppose," Archibald nodded. "But in case you ever change your mind…"

"Yeah, I got it."

* * *

><p>"<em>We're lost!" Guiche cried.<em>

"_We are not!" Kirche retorted. "We're just taking a shortcut!"_

"_We're not even on the road anymore!" the blonde retorted. "Oh why did I survive penetrating Albion only to starve to death in the woods!"_

"_We won't starve to death," Kirche huffed. "If nothing else, we can eat our horses."_

"_That's worse than starving!" Guiche cried._

_Tabitha merely remained silent as she steered her horse through a pair of pushes and came out onto a dirt road. Clicking her heels, she had her horse start following the path._

"_Ah! Tabitha! Wait for us!"_

* * *

><p>After a large lunch courtesy of the combined efforts of Siesta and Marie, the maid's entire family went out to a memorial where their ancestors were remembered. Their bodies were buried elsewhere, but the small memorial stones were there so the family could pay their respects normally without have to make any special trips. Louise and I were invited to join them, which we both did out of sheer curiosity.<p>

"It was my great-grandfather's idea," Siesta whispered as we eyed the stones belonging to Siesta's ancestors. There were only a few of them starting with the great-grandparents and then about six more of the grandparents and their spouses. "He said a family shrine is a perfectly acceptable way to honour the dead."

"Which one is his?" I asked.

"That one," Siesta pointed at the largest stone. Since the family had moved onto the grandparents, I took the opportunity to step closer to the stone to read it and see who the man was. To my shock, I could actually read it.

Since arriving in Halkenginia, I discovered that despite whatever it was that allowed me to understand the people, it didn't extend to their writing. The closest language that I could connect the writing to was French. I could understand a bit of it, having had to learn it in school but I had forgotten most of those lessons. What was so shocking about being able to read the stone was the fact that it was written in Japanese.

I could read it, albeit not perfectly but enough to know what it was talking about. It seemed my fascination with the Japanese culture and language was paying off in an unexpected way, "In memorial...of Marine Force, Second...Lieutenant...Sasaki Takeo. He who...sleeps in...an unknown land."

"Matthew!"

I looked up to see Siesta, Louise, and the others all staring at me. The maid's family were gaping openly at me as if I had just done something incredible.

"What?" I blinked.

"You…you can read it?" Siesta gasped.

"Not perfectly, but yeah," I nodded.

"H-h-how?" asked Marie. "That stone is in a language no one but grandfather had seen before."

I hung my head and sighed, "Because Takeo here and I come from the same world."

"WHAT?-!"

* * *

><p>"<em>I…can't…go…on," Guiche groaned as he leaned on his horse's neck.<em>

"_Don't be a baby! We're almost there!" Kirche scolded, looking as fine as ever but she was also very thirsty._

_Tabitha merely took a sip of water from a canteen she had brought along in preparation for the trip._

* * *

><p>"So, you're from another world?" Louise asked sceptically.<p>

"Noticed how nobody but me knew the story of the original Multi-King, while you all still remember Founder Brimir from 6000 years ago?" I questioned. "That story was from my world."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You wouldn't have believed me."

Louise opened her mouth to protest but closed her mouth. True, she wouldn't have believed his claim. But another world? How could that be possible?

We located back to the house and Louise and I sat at the table with Siesta and Archibald. Marie was watching the children who were playing nearby, but keeping a sharp ear on the conversation.

"My great-grandfather claimed he came from another world," Siesta explained. "He appeared on the day of an eclipse on what people believed to be a dragon. Another such creature was flying with him. Both of them flew in the sky above Tarbes for a few moments before the second creature flew back into the eclipse and vanished."

"Flying creatures," I frowned. If I had to guess and if Takeo was indeed from my world, I would have had to say he was flying a plane instead of a dragon. He must have accidentally found a portal to Halkenginia, meaning that my world and this one must have had a connection.

"Grandpa tried to follow the other creature, but the eclipse ended and he couldn't go back," Archibald continued. "From the story he and father told me, he flew around for a while longer before finally landing in a field. Once people got brave enough, they tried to ask him what he had arrived on, but no one could understand him. It was a while before he could speak our language and tell us his story."

"People asked if he could fly the dragon again, but he said it wouldn't fly anymore," Siesta explained. "A lot of people just thought he needed a special kind of magic to start it up but he kept claiming it never ran on magic."

"Let me guess. No one believed him?"

"Right," Siesta nodded. "But if you can understand his writing, does that mean you come from the same land he does?"

"Well, we come from the same world, but not from the same country," I explained, leaning on the table. "He came from a country called Japan, which is a relatively small nation out in the far east. So far east in fact they call it the land of the rising sun since that's as far east as one can go on my world before they end up in the west again."

"Oh!" Siesta gasped, quite obviously interested in stories about her ancestor's homeland. "Then where do you come from?"

"A northern country called Canada in the west," I answered. "The true north, strong and free. My country's in fact much bigger than Japan was, but back home Japan is an international provider of the latest technologies among other things which make them a power in themselves."

"Incredible!" Archibald gasped.

"Wait," Louise frowned. "If you two come from different countries then how can you understand his language?"

"Well…" I began, searching for an answer. I could just say that I had taken an interest in the language and learned a lot of it on a whim. But…that could lead to a lot more questions about my world which would possibly expose my stories about the Core Medals if I went into too much detail. Still, a different idea came to me as to answer the question honestly in a way and keep supporting my story.

"It's because I found the O-Driver and Core Medals there," I answered, making Louise and Siesta gasp. "I was visiting the country," electronically through eBay, but in a way I was visiting. "I found them there. You both know the story of the Multi-King and the Greeed, right?" both girls nodded while Archibald blinked in confusion. "Haven't either of you wondered how the Core Medals got from inside their stone coffin into a shop?"

"Well…" Siesta began, but it was Louise whose eyes widened and her mouth began to gape.

"No," she whispered.

"Yup," I nodded. "The Greeed got out."

"They did?-!" Siesta squeaked in fear.

"Yup, but not all in one piece. They were betrayed," I explained. "You see, as far as people who knew about this could guess a crack had appeared in the stone coffin which held the Greed and one of them managed to slip out enough to undo the seal and release all of the Greeed. His name was Ankh and he was born from the red Core Medals."

Both girls paid rapt attention.

"The other Greeed were content to go on the rampage, but not until they discovered that at the same time they were freed, Ankh had stolen some of their own Core Medals which left them incomplete and far from their full strength."

"Why would he do that?" asked Louise.

"Because somehow he had lost all but two of his own Core Medals, leaving him only as a floating arm rather than an entire body," I answered, remembering the iconic red arm. "He stole those Medals to try and even the playing field between himself and the other Greeed because unlike the others, Ankh served the Multi-King faithfully."

"What happened next?" asked Siesta, looking excited over the story.

"Well, you can guess that the other Greeed weren't too happy about losing some of their Core Medals so they started making Yummies to try and find them. They caused chaos and panic in their searches and eventually forced Ankh to look for help. He found it in Eiji Hino."

"Eh-jee Hee-no?" Louise tried to pronounce the name.

"I believe Ankh picked him because he was one of the descendants of the Multi-King, like me," I continued. That wasn't exactly the truth. Ankh picked Eiji because he thought he was easily manipulated and a fool. He quickly learned otherwise. "So Eiji, alongside Ankh, fought against the Greeed but in the beginning it wasn't what you might want to call an ideal partnership."

"Because Ankh was a Greeed?" Louise guessed.

"That was partly it, and Ankh really didn't care for humans much besides the fact that he could spawn Yummies from them to collect more Cell Medals from their desires. All he wanted was to regain his body and gather all his Core Medals again so he could become complete again. He even went so far as to possess the body of a man who got hurt the first time Eiji fought as OOO. In their fight against the Greeed they would gain and lose Core Medals but then at the very end Ankh betrayed Eiji in order to become complete but he had second thoughts and regretted his actions. Finally, in order to destroy the Greeed, Ankh sacrificed himself to allow Eiji to win and thus all the Greeed now exist as the Core Medals."

"Oooooooh!" I looked to see all of Siesta's siblings surrounding us, looking intently as the story unfolded.

"Then how did they get into a shop?" asked Louise.

"That I'm not too sure about," I sighed. "You see, at the final battle almost all of the Core Medals were united inside one Greeed which transformed into a giant monolith. Everything that was near it was transformed into Cell medals for fuel and in constantly created Trash Yummies to swarm the world and bring more things to be converted into Cell Medals. When Eiji managed to destroy the source, the Core Medals were spread out in all directions and he lost the O-Driver in the process. My guess is they were eventually picked up and sold to shops where I bought them up."

Louise nodded, "I guess that makes sense."

"So…how did you find all of this out?" asked Siesta.

"When a giant hovering stone surrounded with rings of light appears over one of the largest cities in the world and turns the tops of towers into Cell Medals, the world tends to notice. When I got the O-Driver and the first Medals, I did digging and managed to find some people who knew Eiji and Ankh and told me their stories." I chuckled. "I was actually heading out to show my friends the complete collection when Louise summoned me."

"So cool!" cried one of the boys. A chorus of cries came from the other children, agreeing with their sibling.

"So, what happened to Eiji?" Siesta asked.

"Well, he's off traveling the world, I guess," I shrugged. That was how Eiji's story had ended. It was a little bittersweet with Ankh's death but at least Ankh's spirit would always be watching over him.

I was interrupted from my introspection when I felt something tugging at my shirt. Looking down at the source, I saw that it was one of Siesta's younger brothers. He was looking up at me in that way that kids had when they saw something they thought was just incredibly cool.

"Can you show us your magic?"

Seeing those kids, begging me to show them OOO, I really couldn't resist. That and I felt like showing off a little. I don't know why. Still, Louise didn't mind since it would be something of an ego booster for her to have others witness what an incredible Familiar she had. I walked outside and Siesta's family watched me expectantly. Seeing as I made a lot of hype about the Core Medals and their history, I should at least show them I wasn't filled with hot air. I put on the O-Driver and slotted the Core Medals in.

"Don't blink," I said as I tilted the O-Driver before calling out, "Henshin!" as I scanned the Core Medals.

"**TAKA!"**

"**TORA!"**

"**BATTA!"**

"**TA-TO-BA TATOBA TA-TO-BA!"**

The armour immediately appeared in flashes of colour which had all of Siesta's family gasping in shock. I was a little afraid that I would be scaring the kids, but it seemed I had just the opposite effect. All of them began cheering and talking about how incredible I was. The whole mess of them quickly dashed up to me so they could see the suit up close, some daring to even try and touch the armour. They all thought that it was just great and couldn't stop babbling about it.

"Your magic is so cool!"

"You are a prince!"

"Please marry me!"

"No, he's going to marry Big Sister Siesta!"

"Will Big sister Siesta be a princess?"

"Uh…" I mumbled, not quite sure how to take all of the questions. Just how many people were trying to pair me up with Siesta anyway? I looked to the house where the adults and eldest were sitting. Siesta was blushing slightly, but a smile was on her face while Louise's cheeks were puffed in annoyance. Archibald was laughing at the sight of me being swamped with little kids while Marie was giggling behind her hand, but there was a glint in her eyes that made me slightly nervous. It was if I was looking at a predator plotting their next move and I was the singled out target.

I couldn't help but gulp.

* * *

><p><em>It was three slightly tired nobles that finally arrived in the town of Tarbes. Out of them, Tabitha looked to be in the best shape since she was the only one who had prepared any supplies for the trip. Guiche and Kirche had been expecting a day trip and hadn't packed anything. Now they were regretting it since they were both thirsty and hungry and would have been worse off if Tabitha hadn't decided to share what she had brought with them.<em>

"_Here we are…Tarbes," Kirche panted._

"_Finally," Guiche huffed. "Now where do we go?"_

"_Ummm," Kirche took a moment to remove the map from its storage space and took a look at it. After a moment she pointed in a direction, "That way."_

_Guiche looked to where his classmate had been pointing and quickly felt a cloud of depression overshadow him. Kirche's next directions led to worse that just forests, but hills too._

_Tabitha merely turned the page of her book, a small one made for the purpose of someone who was on the move._

* * *

><p>The children were all wound up after my little demonstration. So much so that it was a battle to get the younger ones settled down for their naps. Marie had conscripted Siesta and I for the job, that unnerving glint still in her eye as she hustled us during the job. She kept saying she wasn't as spry as she used to be before her pregnancy set in so she had the both of us deal with the wiggling and giggling children as we tried to get them to bed and sleeping for their naps. It wasn't easy, but we managed it at least. Siesta was obviously an old hand at it, being the eldest but I was a little out of my depth and relied on her expertise. Something told me I was being played but I ignored it in favour of getting the job done.<p>

"Whew," Siesta huffed as she wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. We had finally finished putting the youngest kids in for their nap and were in the dining room again. "They were more rowdy than usual. I guess you must have really excited them."

"Well, how often is it that someone who uses magic comes through this town?" I asked with a shrug.

"Not often, and usually it's the local lords checking on the towns that come through," Siesta replied. "Of course, we already know about the usual kind of magic the nobility uses. You're something new." Both of us took a moment to enjoy the silence, having our ears filled with the shrieks and squeals of small children for the past few minutes. I wondered where Louise, Marie, Archibald and Glory were. It seemed a little odd for this place to be empty. Still, the silence was nice enough.

"You know, there is one thing about Tarbes that almost nobody knows about," the maid spoke up. "If you're interested, I could show you. It's hidden in a nearby cave. My family keeps the map to it in our shed. My great-grandfather had it made up."

"Really?" I blinked. "What is it? Some kind of hidden treasure?"

"Something like that," Siesta nodded. "Want to see?"

I considered it for a moment and found that my curiosity had been aroused. Shrugging, I replied with "Why not?"

"I can't wait," Siesta smiled pleasantly. "And then after maybe I can show you something else?"

"Like what?"

"Like-"

WHAM!

Siesta and I blinked when the front door opened up to reveal none other than Louise, looking a little flustered in the face. Behind her, Archibald, Marie, and Glory were kneeling down, looking like they were listening in on our conversation.

"I-I-I-I'm going too!" Louise snapped. "As the master of my Familiar, it is my responsibility that decorum be maintained at all times. Leaving you alone with a defenceless woman would just give the wrong impression to everyone, and say the worst about me! So I'm going!"

Siesta frowned with a huff at Louise, obviously upset at being interrupted. Behind her, Archibald looked like he was going to split a gut at the antics which were going on while Marie was frowning at Louise like she had been denied seeing something she really wanted.

I think Glory revealed all with her next question, "Are you going to make happy time with Siesta yet?"

* * *

><p>"<em>We're lost again!"<em>

"_No we are not!"_

"_Path."_

"_Oh, there it is! See, we're not lost!"_

"_We were a second ago!"_

"_Oh do shut up!"_

* * *

><p>After getting the map that Siesta had told us about, she began leading us into the hills that surrounded Tarbes. There were no fields and it was all just natural forest once again. It was a little dense, making me believe that not many people travelled in this direction, if at all. So it was just me, Siesta, and Louise walking along the dirt paths towards whatever it was that Siesta had wanted me to see. As we travelled though, Siesta was trying to stick close to my side while Louise just seemed ready to leap at us at a moment's notice. Honestly, what kind of guy did Louise take me for?<p>

And then the arguing started.

It didn't come from us through. The arguing was coming from the woods. At first the three of us just weren't sure of what to make of the noises. When rustling came from the bushes, I tensed in preparation of whatever it might be that would be coming out. When it did arrive in flashes of yellow, red, and blue, I couldn't help but blink in surprise when the source turned out to be three familiar figures all on horseback.

"Kirche? Tabitha?" I blinked in surprise. "Guiche?"

"Eh?" two of the three blinked as they all turned to face me. They looked a little scuffed up, perhaps having gotten lost in the underbrush somewhere. The only one who looked the most untouched was Tabitha as she simply read her book.

"Oh, darling!" Kirche cried out. She practically teleported off of her horse to where I was before she enveloped me in a hug. I swore I saw Siesta scowling before Kirche's valley once again attempted to swallow me up. Maybe it was just my imagination. The lack of oxygen could already be making me see things. Fortunately, I wasn't able to discern this since Louise's cry of outrage had managed to capture the redhead's attention consequently making her let me go.

"Zerbst, what are you doing out here?" Louise demanded, stepping up to her rival.

"We came to hunt for treasure," said Kirche, hands to her hips. "There is a legendary treasure here called the Dragon's Raiment and we are going to find it and sell it!"

"No!" Siesta objected. "The Dragon's Raiment is my great-grandfather's!"

"What?-!" Guiche cried out in despair. "You mean that we came all this way and somebody already owns it?"

"Dragon's Raiment?" I blinked, testing out the word as I turned to Siesta. "Is that what you wanted to show me?"

"Yes. It's my great-grandfather's treasure," Siesta nodded. She then turned to the three nobles and crossed her arms while puffing her cheeks out. "And I don't appreciate people coming to try and take it away!"

"We didn't know people owned it! Honest!" Kirche defended. "Although, are you willing to part with it for a modest price?"

"NO!" Siesta cried.

"Can we at least see it?" asked Guiche, looking pretty miserable with twigs and leaves sticking out of his clothes. I think I could almost see a black cloud hanging over his head too. "If we came all this way for nothing, I'd at least like to see how much gold we could have made."

Siesta huffed again and uncrossed her arms before planting her fists on her hips, "Well, I suppose that would be okay. Just remember that you can't have it!"

"Right, right," the blonde and redhead nodded. Tabitha nodded as well, but didn't say anything.

So after leaving the horses at a nearby stream which they could drink and eat, the rest of us continued our trek up the hill. I couldn't help but ask what brought on the sudden urge to go treasure hunting in the trio and so they decided to regale me. Kirche of course explained her idea to raise funds to have me ordained as a noble by the Germanian King so that I would receive the respect I deserved after all of the work I had done as well as what my 'lineage' would benefit me with. Incidentally, this would have allowed me to court Kirche without any problems from the more traditional mindsets. Of course, Louise didn't seem to like how much attention a Zerbst was putting on me and decided to stake her own claim as my master once again sparking off an argument between the two. Guiche told me of his latest spat with Montmorency which he was truly innocent of for a change. He had come hoping to use whatever money was left over from buying me a noble title to get Montmorency a gift so she'd take him back. I suspected Tabitha came simply because Kirche had asked her to and as stoic as the bluenette was, I felt she couldn't deny her friends anything.

Our trek reached a turning point when we reached a cave which went deep into the hillside. It was big, but inside was dark and not truly easy to see.

"Did anyone bring a torch?" I asked, only to receive head shakes or fidgeting from the rest of the group who obviously hadn't thought that one would be necessary.

"Yes," Tabitha replied softly, taking a pack off her back. After a moment of rummaging through it, she produced a stick which had cloth tied to the tip. Holding near the bottom, she pointed it at Kirche with a soft request of, "Please."

"Right!" Kirche nodded rapidly, bringing out her wand. She made a soft chant and a small lick of flames burst from the tip of the wood, striking the torch. The cloth immediately ignited into a bright flame which would easily pierce just about any darkness.

"Woah, spooky," said Derflinger.

I had to agree. Caves were really spooky. I once saw a TV show called Lost Tapes and it showed monstrous creatures living in caves…right before they killed the people holding the cameras. I knew it was functional, but it was still scary. It was thoughts like that which made me jumpy during our progress through the cave. Still, with four mages and my Core Medals at my side I had a secure feeling that I would be all right.

Didn't mean I wasn't nervous though. I almost jumped when I felt my hands being grasped. To my left was Louise and to my right was Siesta. They didn't seem to notice what the other was doing, instead keeping their eyes peeled on their surroundings. Maybe they were nervous about this as well. I sure as hell was.

Tabitha lighted our way as he navigated through the cave, the only one who didn't look even remotely creeped out by the dark around us. Did anything faze this girl? We were in the middle of a downright cavernous location where good knew what was living there and she seemed to be treating it like a stroll in the park while the rest of us were looking out for the boogeyman.

"How much farther is it?" asked Guiche.

"It shouldn't be too far," Kirche replied. "My map says we should be getting to the exit soon."

"Mine does too," Siesta announced quickly.

It was a comforting thought to be sure. Being underground in caves just didn't sit right with me. I just wanted out of here as quickly as poss-!

*BOOM!*

"WAUGH!" several of us screamed. I'm pretty sure I was one of them. The explosion came from the base of a stalactite which was hanging from the ceiling which immediately broke and came down in front of use, making an echoing boom through the cave and send dust in all directions. We coughed to get the dust out of our lungs as I shielded Louise and Siesta by stepping out in front of them. However, it seemed our attacker wasn't done yet.

"That was just a warning!" a male voice shouted. "If you value your lives then you'll leave now!"

I put on my O-Driver. Well, if this was some kind of thief then I should deal with him myself. I opened my Medal Book and picked three Medals which I put into my O-Driver and scan. "Henshin!"

"**KOBURA!**"

"**GORILLA!**"

"**CHEETAH!**"

My armour was on me in a flash and the hissing of a snake entered my ears. The power of the Cobra Medal activated, letting me see everything in the infrared spectrum. My friends were radiant shades of white and red while the rest of the cavern was dark. All except one spot which was just as bright as they were. Narrowing my eyes, I charged across the dark gloom, moving too fast for regular reflexes to follow. Racing around to where our attacker was, I blurred behind him and reared back my fist. As I skidded to a halt, the attacker twirled around to face me. I knew I was way too fast for regular reflexes to follow. Was it sheer instinct that let this guy notice me or did I give myself away? It didn't matter to me as I threw my punch at him.

*THOOM!*

My punch blew a hole through the stalagmite he was hiding behind, but I couldn't go for a second attack. His staff was pointing at my chin and glowing like embers in the night. By trying to move he could blow my head off. The smoke from the strike cleared and I was able to see just who our attacker was.

"Professor Colbert?"

"Matthew?"

The two of us were staring at one another for a second, somewhat surprised by what had just happened. Still, we managed to get our senses together and he pulled back his staff while I did the same with my fist. Needless to say, we were both more than a little confused.

"What on earth are you doing here?" he asked.

"Trying to find the Dragon Raiment," I answered. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"The same," Colbert answered. "It's an artefact of important historical significance and I wanted to retrieve it for study."

Wow. I felt a little awkward now.

"So…uh…you want to join up with us?" I offered weakly.

"Oh, who's with you?"

"Louise, Kirche, Tabitha, Guiche, and Siesta," I answered, rubbing the back of my neck. "Turns out the Dragon's Raiment belongs to Siesta's family so she's taking us to go see it."

"Oh, I didn't know," said Colbert with some embarrassment. The thought that the Dragon's Raiment may have belonged to someone probably never came to mind. Then again buried treasure was up for grabs by anybody. Who would have thought that someone kept a treasure hidden out in the wilderness instead of a vault or something?

"Hey, guys, it's alright! It's just Professor Colbert!" I called as I undid my transformation. I heard a chorus of relieved sighs as the educator and I walked to the area where the group had apparently been waiting with baited breath.

"Forgive me for intruding on your family's property, Ms. Siesta," Colbert apologized, rubbing the back of his head. Siesta, not used to being apologized to by nobility was slightly flustered. She quickly shook her head to let the man know that it was perfectly fine. After all, no one would have guessed that an ancient treasure would have belonged to a family of commoners.

"Well, at least we know it's nobody dangerous," I said, looking to Colbert. We could've ended up faced with some kind of monster or some rogue mages trying to get their hands on the Dragon's Raiment and unwilling to part with such a rare treasure that could rake in some gold.

"Can we just find the Dragon's Raiment already?" asked an exasperated Louise. "I don't think I can take any more surprises today."

Siesta happily led us to the exit of the cave and into the open sun once again. As we walked, Colbert regaled us as to how he heard about the Dragon's Raiment. It turned out that many people had seen the flight which Siesta's great-grandfather and his wingman had in the sky before one vanished and the other was forced to land. Rumours about the Raiment and the man himself spread all over until it became a myth. Colbert had researched into the myth and managed to track down the facts before finding someone who knew the relative area where the Raiment was held. It was what brought him to Tarbes in the first place. Finding out that Siesta was a descendant of the man who flew the Dragon's Raiment was quite the exciting discovery for him.

When we managed to get out of the cave, we found ourselves inside an enclosed valley with rock walls lining the edges. The only way one could realistically get in was either through the cave or if they flew which is likely how Siesta's ancestor managed to get the thing to the valley in the first place. How he did it when he said it wouldn't fly anymore was anyone's guess.

"Now this is the kind of place I'd expect a buried treasure to be hidden," Kirche admired the scenery as we walked.

"Forget treasure, I'd want to build my own personal hideaway here," I breathed. I wasn't usually one to admire a scene out of nature, but there was just something about the valley that made me want to just take a deep breath, relax, and forget all of my worries.

Colbert led the way with the map Siesta let him borrow with the rest of us behind him. Eventually, it brought us to what looked like a large wooden building with a large iron lock keeping the large doors shut.

"Hm," Colbert observed. "It's a good sturdy lock, but no enchantments are on it. I can easily unlock it with my magic."

"Then please go ahead," Guiche commented. "I for one want to see this thing."

Colbert immediately set to work, chanting a spell to undo the lock. As we were waiting, I noticed Tabitha walk off to the side of the building where a large flat stone was set. Likewise curious, I followed her to see what could get the stoic girl's attention. Coming closer, I saw an inscription in Japanese on the stone. It had the same thing on it as the memorial, honouring the passing of Siesta's ancestor. It seemed that we had found his gravesite.

*CLANK!*

"It's opened!" I heard Colbert cheer.

Now let's see what this Dragon's Raiment was supposed to be.

Tabitha and I rejoined the others who had stepped inside and had apparently stopped to admire the Dragon's Raiment. The two of us followed and we both came to a stop with our friends. For Tabitha, she was likely in awe over what was in front of us. For me though, I could recognize what I was looking at which was the reason for my personal shock.

"I don't believe it…" First the Staff of Destruction, which turned out to be a rocket launcher, and now _this_?

Standing in front of us was a perfect condition fighter plane which looked like it had just descended out of the skies of World War II. It was a dark green with yellow on the wings. Red circles decorated the wings and near the tail, marking it as a Japanese plane. The cockpit was canopied and twin machine guns were mounted on either wing. Seeing the colour and considering the shape I could understand how the people of Tarbes could have mistaken the thing for a dragon.

Stepping forward, I reached out and let my hands rest against its metal surface. Instantly, the runes on my hand began to glow and I knew all about the plane. It was a Zero Fighter and it was unbelievably good at manoeuvring and dog-fighting for its time. Speed and manoeuvrability mixed with its weapons made it a terror in the skies. This thing was a weapon made strictly for war and no doubt that it would have been a terror on the battlefield if it was used against the people of Halkenginia. From what the runes told me, it was only out of gas. Luckily, it seemed that the lack of fuel and lack of aggression in Siesta's ancestor allowed him to live peacefully and continue his family line.

"It seems someone used preservation magic on it," Colbert commented as he examined the machine.

"I didn't think it actually existed," Siesta breathed. "The story was just so farfetched that I…"

"Yeah, it would seem pretty odd to the folks here," I nodded, still admiring the plane. "But back home, it's nothing out of the ordinary."

"Really?" asked Colbert. "So you have devices like this back in your home world?"

"Better than this," I replied, not looking to him. "This plane is about sixty years old to where I come from. It's an antique. The ones we use now are so much faster and powerful. We can break the speed of sound with them and destroy targets from miles away."

"So…this is a weapon?" asked Siesta, looking slightly afraid.

"Yes," I nodded. "One that was feared in its time before better ones were developed. It was a different time back then and thankfully we've moved on for the most part. Something like this would be prized among collectors though and worth a lot of money. Being in such perfect conditions like this would make it all the more valuable."

"How valuable?" asked Guiche, growing interested.

"Hundreds of thousands I'd guess off the top of my head," I answered. "Maybe more considering how rare this model would be if my history is right." A pretty amazing find if I do say so myself. Too bad I wasn't back home with this. I was sitting on a small fortune as it was if I could have sold it to a collector. Sadly, it didn't belong to me and at the moment, Siesta had final say in what we did with the thing.

"Miss Siesta," Colbert spoke, walking to the maid. "Could I possibly have your consent to have the Dragon Ramient brought to the academy for further study? I really feel that we can use this to advance or knowledge of technology as we know it!"

"Well, I suppose it will be alright," Siesta shrugged. "I'm sure that with Matthew's help you'll discover some amazing things. "

"Amazing, alright," I nodded, only half paying attention to the conversation. I was still stuck on the sight of the plane and the information that the runes were telling me about it. Still, one question came to mind as I reeled at the information. Since this thing was out of gas, how were we going to get it out of here?

* * *

><p>'<em>I had to wonder<em>,' I thought to myself.

Using a Random Combo of the Kobura, Unagi and Zou Medals, I dragged the Zero Fighter out of the cave. The Zou Legs may grant me lower body strength but it was still a chore. The Unagi Whips were secured tightly around the wings. They were tight enough to keep hold but not too tight that the wings would snap off. I mean it was a priceless antique and Siesta's priceless family heirloom. As kind as the girl was, I don't think she'd forgive me if I ended up breaking a part of her family legacy.

"We just have to make contact with the school and Old Osmond can use his contacts to get transportation of the Dragon's Raiment from here to the school."

"Sounds -grunt- good," I nodded as I pulled the Zero Fighter the last few inches out of the hanger which had been built for it. Releasing the Unagi Whips from the wings, I stepped back to admire the polish of its steel in the sun. "Man, imagine if we can figure out a way to get it flying again?"

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Colbert grinned, much like a child receiving a present. "You'd probably be most interested as well."

"What makes you say that?" I asked, flexing my arms to get the stiffness out of them.

"Well, if we can get the Dragon's Raiment flying again, there's a good chance you can go home again," the teacher answered.

I froze, "…home?"

"Why, yes," Colbert nodded. "Siesta told me the story about her ancestor and how two Dragon's Raiments arrived during the eclipse. One vanished but the other remained so I believe that the man's timing was simply off. I believe that the eclipse itself opened a gateway between our world and yours which both men flew through. However, Siesta's ancestor couldn't reach the portal again before the eclipse ended so he was stuck. Since he couldn't fly the Dragon's Raiment again, he was stuck here. The Eclipse is only three days away so if we can determine how to fly this again, you might be able to go home if you wished."

"Home…" I muttered stunned by the news. My chance was right here. If I could find a way to fuel this Zero Fighter, I could actually go home.

…I could go home…

* * *

><p><em>Inside the royal palace of the Tristain monarchy, Henrietta and her mother were taking a stroll in the gardens. Both were talking about the recent collapse of the marriage agreement between Henrietta and the king of Germania. The queen was of course a stately appearing woman who shared the same hair colour as her daughter, albeit tied back in a dignified fashion. She wore a dark gown, signifying she was still mourning the loss of her husband instead of the white colours her daughter favoured.<em>

_The queen of course didn't place any blame on her child for the failure of the engagement. She was disappointed however that despite managing to reclaim the letter which would have ended the arrangement, somehow Reconquista managed to get the information to the right ears anyway._

"_Don't blame yourself child," the queen spoke to her daughter. "You did everything you could to keep this from happening. It is Reconquista that is to blame for sabotaging the agreement."_

"_But…if I had never written that letter in the first place..." the princess argued._

"_You were in love, and he returned it," the queen replied. "You were not spoken for either so there was no shame in writing such a letter." She turned to face her daughter before putting her hands on her shoulders. A serene and understanding smile was on her lips as she gazed down at her little princess. "You are already suffering enough from losing a loved one. There is no need to punish yourself further."_

"_Mother…" Henrietta whimpered, tearing up. She gave off a quiet sob before embracing her mother who quickly returned the gesture._

_Sadly, the moment was interrupted when a messenger came dashing into the garden area towards the royal women. As he got closer, it was revealed that he was panting and obviously had been pushing himself to reach them. Once he was close enough, he dropped to his knee before catching his breath._

"_Your majesties," he panted. "There is an emergency!"_

_Hardening herself, Henrietta left her mother's embrace so to speak to the soldier, "What is your message?"_

"_Albion has fallen to the rebels," the soldier spoke. "They have renamed the country Reconquista and have declared war on Tristain!"_

_Both princess and queen gasped in fright_

* * *

><p><em>AN: I took creative liberties with Siesta's family and her home. If the manga says otherwise, sorry but I was using the anime._


	14. Chapter 14

I do not own Familiar of Zero or Kamen Rider OOO. They belong to their respective creators and not me. I hope everyone enjoyed this season from start to finish.

**Familiar of ZerOOO**

**By Ten-Faced Paladin**

**CHAPTER 14: The Void, The Combo, and The Final Battle**

The academy was abuzz with chatter as the students poured out into the courtyard to examine the Dragon's Raiment. True to his word, Colbert had contacted the headmaster and had him send out some people who rode on griffons to lift the plane up and fly it back to the academy for examination. The courtyard was of course the only place big enough to place the thing in the entire school. With something so massive and strange, I wasn't surprised that it was gaining so much attention.

"Hey Partner," Derflinger spoke up. "Are you going to try to take this thing through the eclipse so you can get home?"

"Seriously considering it," I nodded. "Tristain isn't so bad…but it's not my home. The only problem is that if I decide to do it, how the heck am I going to fuel this thing?"

"Fuel?" asked the sword.

"Yeah. This isn't run by magic," I explained. "It runs on a special kind of fluid that combusts in the main engine and propels the plane along. The unique body shape allows it to lift off the ground. With the engine and the propellers on the front moving air across the wings, this thing can stay up in the sky for as long as the fuel lasts."

"Sounds complicated."

"It is," I agreed. "I don't know the first thing about engines, but as long as I'm touching this thing I can tell how it's working and how to use it at its best. It's in near perfect condition and only out of fuel. Other than that, there's nothing stopping me from using it."

"Wow. Now I want to see if this thing can live up to its legend," Derflinger admired.

"We may just get a chance," I nodded.

"Hey, doesn't that professor guy do all those crazy experiments? Maybe he can help with your little fuel problem," Derflinger suggested.

I blinked. "Hey, you're right! Come on, Derf! We gotta find Professor Colbert!"

I dashed off to find the professor. If there was anyone who I could count on to at least try to find a way to fuel the Zero Fighter, then it would be him.

* * *

><p><em>Louise was at the moment just wandering about the courtyard, glancing absently at the Dragon's Raiment which everyone was making such a big deal about. She supposed it was cool, but there was more on her mind than just looking at the strange machine which she and her classmates had discovered. She had overheard her Familiar and Professor Cobert discussing the story of Siesta's ancestor and how he arrived due to the eclipse. The teacher had theorized that since the second Raiment vanished into the eclipse, it was possible for someone to go from her world back to the world her Familiar came from. It certainly meant that her Familiar's claims of being from another world were now true without a doubt. However…<em>

…_it meant her Familiar might be leaving her too._

_Well what did she care if he went?-! He was way more trouble than he was worth! He was always finding something to backtalk about, flirting with Kirche, getting into trouble, not listening to her orders, and getting her worried about him all the time. Who cares if he was the first real proof that she could use magic? It didn't matter to her that he was one of the people who believed in her, treated her like she wasn't a zero, and defended her when she really needed it. No way, she didn't care! He could go do whatever he wanted! It wasn't like she was able to control him even though she summoned him as her Familiar._

"_Stupid dog," Louise grumbled weakly, rubbing her eyes to stop them from watering. "Who cares if you decide to go? Give it a week and everyone will forget about you. You can just go do whatever you want." Her eyes started watering more as she thought more and more about life without that one pillar of support. "Why do you even need to go in the first place? Isn't it good here? Can't you be satisfied with what your master has given you?"_

_Wetness rolled down her cheeks as she turned away from her classmates._

'…_please don't go.'_

* * *

><p>"Fuel?"<p>

I had managed to track down Colbert at his lab where he was going through his supplies to try and find enough scrolls, ink, and pens to write with so he could get some preliminary observations on the Zero Fighter done. Once I managed to find him, I asked him about a fuel source.

"Yes," I nodded. "The Zero…I mean, Dragon's Raiment requires a special kind of fuel to be able to fly. I figured that if anyone would know about it, it would be you. I mean, you did spend a lot of time researching the history and looking for leads on this thing right?"

"Well, yes I have," the man nodded, rubbing his chin. "I had to go through dozens of possible leads and ended up with things that people would claim come from it. Most of them were just false leads and scams. In fact, one of the best leads I got was the dragon's blood."

"Dragon's blood?" I blinked.

"Let me show you," Colbert gestured me to his nearby chemistry table which had dozens of beakers on it. Looking through the collections of glass and fluids, he picked out one of the larger flasks, revealing it to be filled with an amber liquid. "Here. It took some negotiating but I managed to get my hands on it. The man I got it from said he got it from his ancestors who took it from a sleeping dragon. After I dug for some facts, I determined that it came from Tarbes."

"Which you suspected was where the Dragon's Raiment was," I nodded. "Can I take a closer look at it?"

"By all means," the educator nodded as he held out the flask.

I gently took the flask and held it close to my nose before taking a whiff. The smell instantly hit a point of recognition for me. As someone who had to cut grass and such during my life, I had considerable experience with certain machines which ran on gasoline. What I was smelling certainly wasn't blood, but gasoline. Since these people didn't know about machines as advanced as the Zero Fighter, I could guess they only assumed that it was blood that they had gotten hold of. Likely some wiseass in Tarbes managed to siphon some out of the plane after Sasaki landed, thinking he'd be able to sell it off and get rich or use it in some kind of spell. That or Sasaki swapped it for money. There was no way to be sure.

"Pungent, isn't it?" Colbert chuckled as he saw me grimace. "I've run some tests on it and found it to be extremely flammable and it sizable amounts even combustible. And the fire doesn't go out very easily. I suspect this is one of the reasons why dragon fire is so hard to put out, but why that is I have yet to discover."

"I…hate to break this to you," I grimaced, clearing my nostrils of the scent. "But what you have here isn't dragon blood. What you have here is the fuel needed to make the Dragon's Raiment fly again."

"R-Really?-!" Colbert gasped, stunned. "Then this-!"

"Is a substance which comes from my world," I replied. "We use it all the time. If you can find a way to replicate this stuff, we just might be able to get the Dragon's Raiment off the ground once again."

Colbert visibly shivered in delight at the thought, "Oh what an achievement that would be! If we could get it flying again, we could even send you back home!"

"There's a thought," I nodded.

"I'll start right away!" Colbert grinned, taking back the fuel and bringing it over to his chemistry sets.

I was promptly forgotten as the professor set to work. Shrugging, I decided to leave him to his task. I wasn't any great shakes at chemistry anyway so I would probably just get in his way. All I really could do at the moment was wait and see if Colbert could really pull it off.

Leaving the small hut, I travelled across the courtyard and decided to see if there was something I could do to pass the time. I was way too excited to try and do anything mundane since a way home was just days away from opening up to me. There was no way I could just lay back and try to pass the time by doing chores or something! By this time three days from now, I could be back in my hometown with my friends talking about the wild adventures I had been on! Not that they'd believe me, but it would be fun to tell the story anyway!

I'd be back home, in my own room, with my old friends, just hanging out and goofing off, talking about the latest in tokusatsu. I would have my normal life again. I wouldn't have to fight, I wouldn't have to transform into OOO, the Core Medals would just be props, and I would be…without Louise. Ah, why the hell am I thinking about her? She only summoned me to be her Familiar. Sure, we got along now, barely, but sometimes she could be haughty and prideful, always treating me like I was less than human…and when we got along we had mutual respect for each other. I was going to miss her. I was going to miss Siesta, Kirche, Tabitha, heck I'd even miss Guiche and Montmorency. Even Princess Henrietta and Professor Colbert would just be a fond memory.

"Damn it…" I cursed. This was bad. I was getting too attached to this place and the people here. I needed to decide. I needed to go home.

"Hey, Partner, you okay?" Derflinger asked.

"Oh, what?" I responded. I hadn't been paying attention. "What was that?"

"You were quiet there for a second. I mean, I thought you'd be whooping and cheering because you'd be able to go home soon during the eclipse."

"I…just got a lot on my mind."

"Ah, I see…" I always wondered how he could. He didn't really have eyes so how could he see? "Partner, you want to go home but after awhile this place has become-"

"Hey, Derf, how about we cut down some Trash Yummies to pass the time?" I suggested, cutting him off. I didn't want him to finish that sentence.

I didn't want him to confirm what I was feeling.

* * *

><p><em>All was not well at the academy that day. A messenger had arrived with the news that Albion, now renamed Reconquista, had declared war on Tristain. Many of the students were afraid and not too sure what to do. The headmaster had called an assembly of all of the students once the sun set and informed everyone of the situation. It had been Osmond's decision to have the school closed until the situation was resolved and all of thee students would be sent home. Of course, some of them decreed that they would be joining the campaign, specifically those who came from military families like Guiche did.<em>

_Louise heard the announcement, but she was only half listening. Grimacing, she decided that she had heard enough about what was going on and decided to go do something about it. However, there were some loose ends that she needed to tie up first before she could. Turning away from the headmaster, she began heading for the door._

"_Louise? Where are you going?" asked Kirche._

"_Do you need to ask?" Louise retorted curtly._

"_Well, if you see Darling then let him know he's invited to come back to Germania with me," the redhead called._

"_Right, right," Louise muttered as she left the room._

_Walking down the halls, Louise reflected on what she would have to do. The Princess…no, her best friend Henrietta would no doubt be in the thick of things. She took her role as a ruler very seriously and would no doubt be with the soldiers to fight against Reconquista. It was often her philosophy that if a ruler does not lead personally, then how could their subjects expect to follow. No doubt she also felt that the responsibility of such an event was falling on her shoulders. Both Wales' death while she tried to reclaim her love letter and the lack of military might Tristain could offer because the marriage agreement fell through weighed heavily on her mind. Say what you would about Louise's attitude and personality, but she would never leave a friend to rot during a bad situation._

_Still, that left the issue of her Familiar. He was going to leave in three days during the eclipse and despite wanting to keep him around she knew she didn't have the right. She recalled his stinging words to her the first day they met. He really did have a point. Her summoning spell had plucked him up from his home world and dragged him to hers without his permission. In a way, that was kidnapping. He hadn't wanted to come and despite making the most of his situation he no doubt wanted to go home. With the war looming over Tristain, he may very well feel obligated to help her and even risk his chance at going home._

_She couldn't allow that._

_Not out of maliciousness or something like that of course. It would have been immense relief to her knowing that her Familiar would be with her to lend whatever support he could. Using the Core Medals during the battle would be a tactical advantage as well. However, she just couldn't in good conscience do that to him. He didn't have any loyalty to Tristain and he certainly didn't owe the country anything either. Fighting thieves out of a sense of right and wrong or going on a mission because Henrietta personally asked them to was one thing, but this was a war. There was a far, far greater chance of getting killed in war than in simple scuffles with one person. She may have wanted loyalty from Matthew, but she didn't want him to give up his life. Not for her._

_Actually, this chance for him to return to his home world was a stroke of good luck in light of the situation. In truth, Louise had been feeling rather acceptable about Kirche's offer and would have even ordered him to go. Kirche certainly seemed fond of him and her -shudder- mother was even more so. If all went well, he likely could have begun a relationship and decide to build a new life in Germania away from the trials in Tristain. Germania had a much stronger military and would be able to fight off Reconquista and Tristain if it needed. He would be safe there and his powers would have helped turn the tide of any battle._

_With his chance to go home, she just had to make sure that he took it. _

* * *

><p>I had spent the rest of the day fighting Trash Yummies in my TaToBa Combo and now with the night sky over me, I knew I had best leave it for the night. It still didn't make me feel any better beyond a way to vent my frustration. Any way I sliced it, I'd be leaving behind a bunch of friends that I came to care about. They were a unique bunch of characters and I don't think I'd ever meet anyone like them ever again. Hell, all of Halkenginia was a unique place I'd never see the likes of again. I'd really miss it…if I actually left.<p>

Which I would.

I was sure…

Maybe…

"Feeling better Partner?" asked Derflinger as we walked through the halls back to Louise's room.

"Sort of," I sighed. "Still a little bummed out but feeling a little better anyway."

"You've got a big choice coming up. It makes sense to be a little nervous about it," the sword commented. "I mean, on one hand this is your chance to go home where everything and everyone you love is. On the other hand, there's this place where you've made a bunch of pretty cool friends, a big shot in the making thanks to your lineage, and you've got an awesome sword like me to keep you company."

I blinked and glanced over the shoulder at my weapon, "You're oddly insightful for a sword."

"Years of experience."

I reached Louise's room and gently opened the door. Inside the room was dark and the bed was being occupied by Louise. She was still in her uniform and was fast asleep on her bed. Either the day had really gotten to her or she had been waiting for me to come back but couldn't stay awake. Shaking my head, I stepped softly toward her and with experiences of my parents doing this for me, picked her up in a bridal carry. With what space my occupied hands had, I pulled back the sheets before gently depositing Louise on the bed with her head squarely on the pillow. After a moment to remove her shoes, I slipped the sheets over her to let her sleep. She gave off a soft 'fuuuu' noise before she turned to cuddle deeper into the soft pillow.

"Smooth Partner," Derflinger whispered.

I snickered softly and turned towards my pile of straw. It was a shame they didn't at least have futons or I would have tried to ask for one by this point. Laying down and making myself comfortable, I set Derflinger aside before I allowed my eyes to closer. I drifted off into sleep not long after.

* * *

><p><em>Louise stifled a yawn as she sat up in her bed. It took her a few moments to get herself out of her daze, but when she did she realized that she was in her uniform and under the sheets of her bed. She knew she fell asleep on top of the bed while she was waiting for her Familiar to return but…<em>

"_Oh," Louise gasped softly as she turned and spotted Matthew lying on his pile of straw, sound asleep. Louise realized that he must have come back late, saw her asleep, and properly put her to bed. She was something of a heavy sleeper so she of course wouldn't have noticed. It was just another example in a growing number of examples revealing why she had lucked out into having a Familiar like him. She had no clue at the time how lucky she had gotten that day the second years began summoning their Familiars._

_It made doing what she was about to do that much harder._

_Silently removing herself from her bed so not to wake her Familiar or Derflinger, she walked across to her writing desk. Quickly getting a piece of paper and dipping her quill in some ink, she began writing a quick message. After waiting for a moment to let the ink dry, she took it to her Familiar's side and left it where he would notice it. After that, she quickly put on her shoes and headed out of the room to see one of the servants about a horse._

_She had a friend to go meet._

* * *

><p>"I'm…fired?"<p>

I blinked at the note that had been left for me when I woke up the next morning. I had woken up with it next to me and unfortunately couldn't read it. The only part I could recognize was Louise's name on the bottom and my name at the top. The rest was French gibberish to me. So I had to have Derflinger translate for me. My sword could even read. How handy was that?

"Says right there in black and white," Derflinger confirmed.

I was more than a little confused as to what the hell was going on. I was fired? Why? Did I do something to piss Louise off? Sometimes I don't get what goes on in that girl's head at times. But how could she fire me as her Familiar? Wasn't our bond permanent? I glanced at the runes which decorated my hand.

"She's fired me as her Familiar, but she hasn't fired me as her friend," I frowned.

"Partner?" Derflinger questioned.

"Something's up," I replied as I stood up. Grasping my animated sword, I slung it over my shoulder once again. "Louise just wouldn't fire me for no reason. If we had an argument then that would be one thing, but out of the blue like this? That's not like her, which means that there's something wrong."

"You think so?"

"Well, the only way to be sure is to ask someone," I shrugged as I headed for the door.

Moving through the halls, I found a strange silence had overcome the place. None of the students were around or even socializing. It kind of creeped me out to see things so quiet rather than a bustling building of kids and teachers like it usually would be. I came out of the tower and into the courtyard, spotting the Zero Fighter at the other end near the front door of the academy proper. Walking around to the plane, I found the area still as empty as the tower was.

"Okay, just where is everybody?" I wondered.

I managed to get my answer when I heard chatting coming from inside of the front doors of the school. Turning to see who it was, I saw that Kirche and Tabitha were coming out. I quickly saw my opportunity and called out, "Kirche! Tabitha!"

The two noble girls perked up when I called their names and turned to see me approaching. Tabitha was as stoic as always, which wasn't a surprise. In polar opposite to her best friend, Kirche broke out into a large smile and began heading towards me, "Darling!" She came up to me and once again engulfed me in one of her hugs. Thankfully, it was a more respectable hug with her breasts pressed up sensuously against my chest rather than engulfing my face.

"Hello to you too," I nodded, patting her on the shoulder. Letting her get her squeezes in, she backed away so I could speak. "Have either of you seen Louise? She's vanished on me and she left a…weird message."

"Hmm," Kirche huffed, stepping back. I could tell she would rather have preferred a more enthusiastic greeting from me rather than asking about Louise, but something was up so I didn't feel too bad about disappointing her. "Well, I overheard that she grabbed a horse and left the academy. I don't suppose that's hard to understand why though. Everyone's going to be leaving."

"Everyone's leaving?" I blinked. "Why?"

"Haven't you heard?" Kirche gasped in surprise. "Darling, were you under a rock all of yesterday? Albion has been conquered by the rebels and now they've declared war on Tristain! All of the students are going home for their own protection since the school is such a good target."

"Say WHAT?-!" I screamed, feeling like I had been sent for a loop via punch to the face. War?-! That meant that things were really getting serious. Wait, then why did Louise fire me…unless…

"I have to go find Louise!" I said quickly, turning to leave in a hell of a hurry. That girl would probably put herself in the thick of things if it meant serving Henrietta to the best of her abilities! Hell, if the princess went to the front lines then Louise would follow her! She would be a sitting duck. She may be a Void Mage, but she had no clue how to use her abilities and she certainly couldn't defend herself in a non-magical sense either!

"Do you even have a clue where she is?" asked Kirche, halting my charge.

"Do you?" I asked, hoping she had an answer.

"Well…"

"Ah, Matthew. You're here too."

My panicked inquisition was halted by Professor Colbert as he walked into the courtyard from the direction of his lab. Floating in the air beside him were four barrels which all sounded like there was a liquid stashed inside of them. He looked tired, but the smile on his face was unmistakable. Waving, he walked up to us with the barrels following until he reached the plane. Depositing the barrels, he turned to us, "I was just going to go find you. It took me all night, but I managed to synthesize the dragon bloo- I mean, gasoline."

"Ah…thanks," I nodded. Of all the times for good news to come and remind me of my impending decision, it just had to be now. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know where Louise has run off to, do you?"

"Miss Valliere?" Colbert murmured, but then started to think about it. "Well, I heard from some of the servants tending to the horses that she took one of them and headed out. She hadn't had anything packed so I assume she's headed somewhere nearby."

"Like say…the princess?" I guessed.

"Knowing how fiercely loyal she is to that girl, I don't doubt it," Colbert nodded. "You don't know?"

"She left me a note saying I was fired and I'm a little worried about her since this is radically outside of what I'd call normal behaviour," I replied, scratching the top of my head.

"Even if Louise was with the princess, I doubt they'd let you into the castle now," Kirche spoke up, catching my attention. "With this note, she can claim that you aren't with her anymore and keep you out. I honestly don't think there's much you can do in the situation but wait for her to come back so you can talk to her."

"In the face of a war?" I deadpanned. "She's more likely to follow the princess to the front lines."

"True," Colbert nodded, grimacing at the thought of his students fighting in wars rather than learning.

I dropped my head and sighed, "So there's nothing I can do huh?"

"Wait," Tabitha murmured, for once not looking in a book.

"That's right!" Kirche nodded, but then snagged my arm and buried in her chest. She smiled up at me in her patented saucy way which would make most guys turn into weak-willed piles of mush. I on the other hand was a little distracted so I just was busy trying not to choke on my tongue. "In the meantime, would you like to visit Germania with me? You certainly don't have anything else to do."

"Well…uhhh,"

"Oh, so you decided to stay after all?" Colbert smiled while adjusting his glasses. "Excellent. I dare say we'd miss having you around if you left."

"Wait, leaving?" Kirche gasped, her body turning rigid as she grasped my arm tightly.

"Why yes," Colbert nodded, seemingly oblivious to Kirche's sudden distress. "We theorize that when the eclipse occurs, a gateway between Matthew's world and our own opens. It's how the Dragon's Raiment here arrived in our world. Matthew had an idea of flying the Raiment into the eclipse when it occurs in two days so he could return to his own world."

"Oh…I…see," Kirche muttered, sounding quite stiff in her voice. "Professor…would you…excuse us?"

"Of course," Colbert smiled. "I'm sure you'd like to spend time with friends before you head back to Germania. Don't let me keep you."

"Thank you," Kirche nodded stiffly. She then she began yanking my arm as she drew me away from the Zero Fighter. I mean, she was pulling me hard enough I feared for my arm. I yelped in pain, but the redhead didn't listen as she continued pulling me towards the girls' tower again. Tabitha merely shot me a glance as we passed and then turned to find a place likely to read her book. Kirche was uncharacteristically silent as she yanked me through the doorway of the tower and up several flights of stairs. I swear, the girl was stronger than she looked since I had tried digging my feet into the ground and only got nearly yanked off said feet for it.

"Kirche! Ow! Hey!" I cried, trying to get some means of control, but the Germanian wouldn't hear of it as she continued tugging me along

We finally reached her room and Kirche pushed the door open before pulling me inside. Once we were in, she unceremoniously threw me onto her bed. I landed on my chest with a soft thud and I heard the door slam shut. Flipping over, I didn't get a chance to get up before Kirche leaped at me and pinned me down onto her bed.

"Kirche, wha-MPH!" I tried to say, but was interrupted by a Kirche's kiss. This wasn't some kind of romantic kiss on the lips either. This was an 'open-your-mouth-so-our-tongues-can-play' kind of kiss!

"Mmn! Mmm! Nnn!" Kirche gasped through our kisses as she tried to knot our tongues together.

I had to admit, it was really hot. I wouldn't mind if we did this for a while…

"Mwa!" Kirche finished, pulling back slightly. She was panting for breath and it was doing interesting things to her chest. She looked down at me, appearing more distressed than lusty as she sat on top of me. I almost didn't catch her next words thanks to the distraction. "Please don't go."

"Wha…" I began.

"Please don't go," Kirche repeated. She leaned down and pressed herself against me again, obscuring part of my view with her red hair. "Please stay. You don't have to go. If you don't like it in Tristain, you can come back with me to Germania. You can live with me at our estate. Just please don't leave."

Great, my worst fear. Well, one of them. Upsetting my friends and here was Kirche trying to convince me to stay. Still, this was extremely out of character for her but considering that I've never seen her distressed before I guess I would be shocked by what I was seeing. "It's got nothing to do with Tristain."

"Then what? Why do you have to go?" she asked.

"I got…family back home. They're probably wondering what happened to me."

"Can't you just send a message?" Kirche begged. "A signal, a letter, a sign, anything?"

"But what if it doesn't reach them?" I asked.

"It'll reach somebody," Kirche reasoned. "The message can be sent to your family from whoever finds it."

"Kirche…" I sighed. She was clasping at straws now.

"No, please don't say it! Don't say you're leaving!" Kirche sobbed, tears running down her cheeks. "I can't take it again! I can't deal with being rejected by someone I love again!"

"L-love?" I blinked, a little stunned by the proclamation. Shaking my head, I concentrated on her other words. "Kirche, what are you talking about?"

Kirche sniffled and pressed her face into the crook of my neck, "A long time ago…before I came to Tristain…there was this boy. He was handsome, kind, popular, everything a girl could want. I saw him…and I thought I was in love. I was determined to have him court me…seduce me…love me back. We got along very well in class, talked all the time, I was sure that he was interested in me. Every other boy was. I was sure he would love me back."

"Did he?" I asked softly.

"No!" Kirche sniffled. "He wasn't interested in me at all! He had someone else! He didn't want me! Hearing that…it hurt so much…I felt like I just wanted to die!"

I grimaced at the rather extreme feeling of rejection. Of course, Kirche seemed to be someone who wore their emotions and even their heart on their sleeves. Being rejected probably hurt and rather than bottle it up like a lot of people were in the habit of doing, she likely let it all out. However, I knew that kind of pain didn't go away overnight. It stayed with you for a while and lasted depending on what you did about it. It could even change you if it was bad enough. It was never a fun experience, especially for someone who was so outgoing like Kirche was. It was likely murder on her heart.

"So what did you do?" I asked, steering the conversation away from my leaving.

"I just started seeing other boys. My age or older if I could manage it. I had affection. I had pleasure. I thought that was good enough. It made me feel better knowing that even if the man I wanted didn't want me back, so many other men did," Kirche continued, rubbing her face against my shirt to dry her tears. "It gave me a somewhat scandalous reputation, but Zerbsts consider that an accomplishment rather than something to be ashamed about. My school certainly didn't agree when I got caught seducing one of my teachers and almost destroyed my school's reputation, having many students being threatened to be pulled out and ruin the place. To save the school, the headmaster there expelled me. My parents were furious and my father suggested I marry that brute Alejandro."

"And yet I remember kicking his ass," I commented, hoping to make her laugh.

"Hm, yes. He didn't really appeal to me or Mother. Too stuffy," Kirche sighed. "Mother suggested I come here to finish my education. I found more boys who would care about me, want to be nice to me, openly want me. It felt just as nice before…until that night I brought you to my room."

"I remember," I nodded. "I seem to also remember stating why I was so cautious about getting involved with you."

"Yes. You were right to be," Kirche sighed sadly. "You were the man of the hour and I wanted to be the one on your arm. The popular couple I suppose. But then…I saw your red armoured form. Seeing you like that just mesmerized me. So much like the flames of passion and life I cherish, but it was like I had forgotten all about commoners and nobles. To me then, you were just a man and I was just a woman. Everything else was just an unnecessary label."

I had to admit, despite the situation hearing that was certainly an ego booster.

"Then you gave me that feather and I just felt my heart pound," the redhead continued, speaking fondly as she recalled the night in question. "And then I felt what I did before I was rejected. I felt love again. Any fears I had about pursuing it vanished when I held that feather and I couldn't help but want to be closer to you."

"And that's when you tried seducing me at every turn," I nodded.

"Yes. Is it working?" she asked hopefully.

"Sorely, sorely tempted each time," I admitted. "But what held me back was wondering how serious you would take a relationship and how different our classes are. Not everyone is as accepting of others as you are."

Why did Kirche have to make this so difficult?

"Have you decided yet if you are going or staying?" she asked quietly.

"Not yet," I answered honestly. I had been trying to avoid it for a while, but it seemed I would have to consider the pros and cons of it sooner than I anticipated.

"Then before you do, please do one thing," She sat up, looking down at me. "Please sleep with me. I want to be in your arms just once before you go, if you decide to go."

She looked vulnerable and perhaps a little desperate. Part of me wanted to say no out of a sense of propriety. However, Kirche was baring her heart out to me and I wasn't callous enough to even consider turning down such a request simply because I felt a little uncomfortable. I doubt Kirche would recover completely if I did and I would have never forgiven myself for it.

"Alright."

* * *

><p><em>As night fell, Louise and Guiche were at the castle on horseback as soldiers and the Griffon Knights were preparing to head out to face Reconquista soldiers. News had reached the castle that a warship had descended from the floating island and occupied Tarbes to start off the invasion. Louise and Guiche both insisted on going since they both knew Siesta was there and now in the direct line of fire. The princess herself was dressed in her armour and was getting ready to head out to face the enemy. The Griffon Knights were slightly demoralized though since their captain had turned traitor and would now be their enemy on the fields of battle. Traitor he may be, Wardes was still a skilled warrior and a very proficient mage.<em>

_Louise had arrived at the castle early that morning and requested the privilege to stand next to the princess during this time of strife. Henrietta had actually shed tears, thanking Louise for her presence. Despite showing nothing but steel to her advisors, Henrietta was still very much afraid of what the war might bring. Knowing that her best friend was there to help her shoulder the burden any way she could brought waves of relief to the princess and helped reaffirm her resolve._

"_So they're here already," Guiche grimaced, watching as the princess said goodbye to her mother and advisors._

_Louise remained silent, not wanting to express her fears nor wanting to lament on wishing her Familiar was there. She made her choice to keep him safe and away from battle. She could only focus on the here and now and pray to the Founder that wherever he ended up would be the happy ending he deserved for helping so much during the short time he was with her._

* * *

><p>And so I spent the night with Kirche. Not the flirtatious and sexy Kirche that would have gotten me into having hot monkey sex with, but the more vulnerable Kirche who had rediscovered what having real romantic feelings for someone was like and was sorely afraid of losing it a second time. We didn't move far from the bed since Kirche tossed me onto it. We just lay there for the rest of the day with her buried against my side. Of course, I had removed Derflinger since laying back with a sword jamming into me wouldn't have been comfortable at all. So I put him under the bed so Kirche and I could have some privacy.<p>

I had passed the time, letting my fingers run through her hair or just rest on the small of her back. We didn't talk much, merely sitting back and enjoying the warmth of each others' bodies. Time kind of lost meaning for me then to be honest. Having a hot girl cuddle against you would do that.

At the moment, dawn had approached and I had returned to consciousness. Kirche and I were both still on the bed, but I was without my shirt and Kirche was in her usual sleepwear once again, a purple nightie which hid nothing and her panties. It was the only sign of seductive Kirche I had seen since we entered the room but I think it was her way of trying to add more incentive to me staying. Feeling her practically bare breasts pressing against my shirtless torso as she cuddled along with her leg thrown over mine made sleep somewhat difficult, especially with a resulting condition from her close proximity and how she slept in practically nothing. Thankfully she didn't make me watch her change or I was pretty sure I would have jumped her. Last night was about companionship and affection, not sex.

I also had to admit that she was making it harder to make my decision.

Seeing this side of Kirche did assuage some of my fears about dealing with her. She was flirty and took a lot of boyfriends because she wanted to feel care and affection. If the horn dogs she attracted wanted a second chance at her, they would have to serenade, care, and want her. Apparently that episode in her room made her feel something stronger which she wanted to pursue with all of her heart. Well, I was attracted to Kirche of course and as I got to know her more serious and gentler sides I liked what I saw. At least now I wouldn't feel like she was just after me for a fling.

I still had to decide if I was going to stay or go.

A sharp intake of breath alerted me to Kirche waking up. I looked down at her as she looked up, brushing some of her hair out of her eyes. A slight yawn escaped her lips before she smiled at me, "Good morning Darling."

"Morning," I grinned. "Sleep well?"

"The best," Kirche smiled. "Stay with me a little longer?"

"Sure," I nodded. "I don't have anywhere to be at the moment. We'll have to get breakfast eventually though."

"We'll get it later," Kirche nodded, pressing her head into my chest again. "I just want to enjoy this time right now."

"As the lady wishes," I nodded, resting my hand in her hair again.

For what I could only guess was another hour did Kirche and I enjoy our time together. Eventually though we had to get up. Kirche perched herself on the bed and watched me as I retrieved my shirt and jacket along with Derflinger before getting dressed.

"Fun night Partner?" Derflinger asked cheekily.

"Shut up," I hissed.

"I'll meet you outside," Kirche smiled, ignoring the sword. "Just let me get my clothes on and we can eat downstairs."

"Will do," I nodded. Heading to the door, I stepped outside and shut it behind me. I took a perch beside the door and simply waited for Kirche to get herself ready. Derflinger was snickering softly, obviously amused that I was getting somewhere with a girl. He was probably living vicariously through me since a sword couldn't get lucky. I had half-expected Kirche to take a while to get herself ready, but she was actually able to get herself together quickly. She came out looking as sexy and beautiful as ever, running her fingers through her hair to straighten it out.

"Shall we?" she smiled softly.

"Let's," I nodded, offering her my arm. She took it and we headed down to reach the main dining hall for some grub.

We travelled down and through the courtyard and into the academy proper for some breakfast. Kirche and I took a seat and waited for the servants to serve the food. Many students were still there, but there were several chairs empty and everyone looked a little nervous with the threat of war hanging over their heads. I felt a little guilty about forgetting about it after my night with Kirche, but at the very least I could admit that I had a nice night.

Kirche sat next to me while maids passed out platters of hot breakfast for everyone to enjoy. Specially prepared eggs with a number of spices were prepared and I quickly dug into them. Kirche took some tea and I helped myself to some juice. Once more, Kirche and I simply enjoyed the ambience and each other's company. She scooched her chair closer to mine so she could rest her head on my shoulder and I didn't miss the smile on her face…or the cries of dismay from some of the boys who watched us.

"I think I just made some enemies," I grimaced.

"Ignore them," Kirche sighed, taking my arm again.

We finished breakfast and Kirche pulled me outside for a walk around the courtyards. Again, I knew she was trying to convince me that I should stay in Halkenginia. Still, I decided to just enjoy how she was trying to convince me and take it as a good memory either way I went in my decision. The two of us moved through the grass and admired some of the decorative flowers and shrubs. The gardeners did good work. It was just too bad I never noticed before. I knew several people who would have killed to have gardens that looked this nice.

"Mother sent a letter asking about you recently," Kirche spoke up as we walked by some colourful flowers which I had never seen before.

"Oh?" I nodded, slightly fearing what that letter may have entailed.

"She's been asking about your exploits and the progress I've made in snagging you," the redhead explained, smiling at me. "So I told her about your mission to Albion which ended up with you fighting both that brute Wardes and that monster at the church," she broke into a giggle. "Her reply came quickly and said if you got any more impressive she'd snap you up first."

"Isn't she married?" I asked feeling a little stunned about the admission, forgetting about the fact that she spilled the contents of a secret mission. It was rather moot since now though since Tristain was now at war with the former Albion and the Germanian marriage fell through anyway.

"She and father have flings all the time," Kirche waved off the casual mention of proposed infidelity. "They both love each other but because of my father's career they can't be together as often as they like and people have needs. Of course, they do love each other and always come back to one another. The dalliances are only just for pleasure and once they get back together at home, I don't see them for days on end. I really wonder why I don't have a flock of siblings sometimes."

"Okay…" I blinked. Apparently Germanians really believed in open love. It was kind of more information than I needed to know or was she aiming for another reason for me to stay?

We started chatting a little about Kirche's family, whom I learned had a long and impressive history in the Germanian military, and a lot of scandal which they were more proud than ashamed of. A good portion of it dealt with how they tweaked with the Valliere family. Apparently her mother Emma and Louise's mother Karin had something of one of the fiercest rivalries. I mean, according to her it was something that legends were made of. That and the rest of the rivalry which stemmed from the Zerbsts and Vallieres fighting over fiancées and fiancés, stealing one or the other from each other. It honestly sounded ridiculous, but a woman and a noble's pride was not something to trifle with lest you want to get your ass kicked.

We walked into the Vestri Court which held several memories to me, mainly about kicking someone's butt. Passing through though, we spotted a familiar head of blue hair walking towards us. It was Tabitha, and she wasn't reading her book and she was walking quicker than she usually would. It was odd for me, but Kirche seemed to be able to sense that something was wrong.

"Tabitha? What is it?" she asked.

"Warship. Tarbes," the bluenette replied.

"Huh?" I blinked.

"A warship from Reconquista landed in Tarbes, beginning the invasion," Kirche translated, turning from her softer side to serious once again.

"…what?" I gasped out, my face turning pale.

"It seems Reconquista has begun invading Tristain," Kirche frowned. "They sure didn't take long."

"Troops. Marching," Tabitha murmured.

"So the army has already headed out to take it back?" I asked, hoping I understood the bluenette right. Tabitha nodded in response.

I felt my gut sink at the announcement. Siesta was still back in Tarbes with her family! Knowing how those Reconquista assholes fought, they probably came in with a violent explosion and decimated something in one of their showy bids of power. I already figured that Reconquista were a greedy group of assholes, and attempting to conquer Tristain so soon after they managed to take Albion just proved it. There would be no reasoning with them unless it was something they wanted to hear and all they wanted was everything in Halkenginia. Seeing that asshole Wardes being so smug, no doubt believing he deserved it all just made my blood boil.

"Darling?" asked Kirche.

"I need to see a man about a plane," I growled, turning to head towards the Zero Fighter.

"Darling! Wait!" Kirche cried as she and Tabitha chased after me. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to take the Dragon's Raiment to Tarbes and shoot down as many of those pricks as I possibly can before they start killing innocent people," I answered coldly.

* * *

><p><em>Wardes watched as the Reconquista warship hovered over the conquered town of Tarbes with the Dragon Knights just waiting to be deployed. Cromwell had whipped all of the knights up into a frenzy, denouncing the corrupted royalty and strengthening the values of the new government. It made the traitorous captain want to laugh. Cromwell was as corrupted as they came, just as prone to his whims as any of the nobility he spoke out against. He was just more subtle about it. After all, any man who started a civil war simply because he believed he was destined to lead was hardly a moral person. The man was a slave to his ambitions and had only grown more arrogant as his successes piled up, forgetting that those successes were brought upon by agents like Wardes.<em>

_Well, not that Wardes was better in some ways._

_The grey-haired captain was a man of ambition and that ambition drove him to desire the seats of the highest powers in Halkenginia. To him, all of the countries were cesspools of corruption brought upon by fat and lazy nobles who rode on the coattails of their predecessors and abused every advantage they had. They never knew how to work for their gifts like he had done. After his parents' death, Wardes had to work his way up through the hierarchy, using a military career to advance himself through his numerous accomplishments and the skill in magic he possessed. He had to forge ties with numerous families, prove to them he was worthy of their time and notice. All of it he worked for. His former engagement to Louise, his gold, his titles, his property, he earned all of it but he deserved so much more. He worked harder than any noble in any of the countries!_

_Guessing that Louise was a Void Mage was a stroke of luck and he had intended to use his engagement to empower his line to help pave the way as future rulers. Even if he had to use Cromwell's blasted ring to force her to see things his way he was sure to have his empowered line. However, that blasted Gandalfr and his artefacts managed to derail everything. He lost Louise, he lost the artefacts, he lost the letter, and he lost everything he worked for in Tristain! Now he was forced to live on Cromwell's generosity as a 'convert' and would have to start all over again!_

_A growl came to the man's lips as he raised his hand to his left eye. It would be scarred for sure with three diagonal slashes over the area. He was lucky he hadn't lost the eye entirely and that Reconquista had managed to bring some excellent Water Mages to their side. Still, the eye-patch he now wore was just painful evidence of how much he lost, his defeat, something which left a foul taste in his mouth and a burning hate in his heart. Oh he managed to kill Wales and secure victory for Reconquista, but failing all of his other objectives tarnished his reputation and made Cromwell less willing to trust him. That just made his goal of eventually taking control of Reconquista that much more difficult._

_Snorting, he reached into his jacket and pulled out one of the Cell Medals which he had managed to steal from Louise's room. He had said to the boy that Reconquista had them, but Wardes lied. They were in his personal quarters and no one else knew of them. They were to be his secret weapon…if he learned how to control them. The first with the disgraced Viscount from Germania was just a test to see if they worked. When he used one to make the Yummy from the princess' letter, he expected to be able to control it like he would a golem. Instead, it simply went on its merry way and did what it wanted to do and even so much as punched Wardes clear out of the church._

_Wardes suspected that was the case simply because the creature was made from an object rather than a person. So he came up with his own theory. Bringing the Cell Medal up to his own head, Wardes felt like a hole had opened inside. Steeling himself, he inserted the Medal and let it drop. There was a metallic clinking noise before the opening closed and Wardes waited for a reaction. It quickly came when he felt an opening appear in his back through his outfit which something crawled out of and hit the deck with a thud. Turning around as the void closed, Wardes was treated to the sight of a gray creature covered in white bandages._

"_Nnnn," the creature groaned as it stood up, staring at the former Viscount blankly._

"_Who do you serve?" he asked, expecting a positive answer._

_He didn't get one._

"_I asked you a question, golem!" Wardes frowned._

"_Nnnn." The creature grunted._

"_Do you even know your own purpose?" the irritated man snapped, feeling like he had failed in creating his weapon._

"_The glory of Wardes," the creature muttered._

_Wardes blinked at the reply, but soon got a grin. Now that was more like it._

* * *

><p>Finding Colbert had been easy enough since he was checking over the Zero Fighter and taking notes about it. When I quickly briefed him on what I planned to do, he actually got behind me on it. He had fuelled it up the previous day so now all there was to do was try to see if it would fly. Hefting myself onto the wing, I pulled open the cockpit canopy and jumped inside. Once my hands touched the controls my runes activated and I knew exactly what to do to get the engine going.<p>

"Professor!" I shouted to the man as he stood out front. "Get the propeller turning!"

"Right!" Colbert nodded and raised his staff. His magic activated and began pushing the propeller on the front so it would spin. I hit the ignition and heard the engine roar. I kept the pressure on the ignition and the engine roared to life, sounding like a beast ready to battle. I shut the cockpit and let Colbert get out of the way. Manipulating the controls, I turned up the acceleration and let the plane move forward to pick up speed. As I moved, I saw Kirche and Tabitha catch up to where the professor and I were and Kirche began trying to chase after me but Tabitha hooked the back of her blouse with her staff and restrained her.

I gunned the accelerator and saw the wall surrounding the school racing up to me. I knew I didn't want to crash so I yanked back on the steering controls and tried to get some lift. Sure enough, the plane lifted and I cleared the wall and began my flight into the wild blue yonder. I didn't take the time to admire the view or be amazed at the fact that I was actually flying a plane. Instead, I adjusted my path and began flying in the direction of Tarbes.

"Holy cow!" Derflinger exclaimed. "This is way better than being on a dragon!"

"Just wait until you see this thing in a fight," I grinned savagely. "The guns still have ammo left in them. If you think this is cool then wait for the fireworks to start!"

"Then let's get a move on Partner!" my sword laughed.

Flying towards Tarbes, I realized that my plane wasn't invincible. I would need a backup plan. So I reached into my jacket and retrieved my O-Driver. After that, I pulled out my Medal Book and plucked out three of the red Core Medals. I silently thanked Louise for not bringing them with her when she left as I dropped the Medals into their slots. I left the Driver unlocked since I didn't need the constant pulsing noise messing with my concentration.

Preparations complete, I placed the book back in my jacket pocket and focused on the distance where I knew Tarbes was.

…where black smoke was rising into the sky.

Not good.

* * *

><p><em>BOOM!<em>

_Louise grimaced as the warship launched another volley onto the ground forces. The armies had arrived to try and retake Tarbes, but Reconquista was using their aerial advantage to the max. Dragon Knights were fighting the Griffon Knights and managing to win thanks to the strength of their steeds and long-range capabilities. The cannon fire was ripping through the forces like it had Tarbes. The town was half in shambles no doubt with Reconquista's posturing and would claim in was Henrietta's fault it happened since she wouldn't surrender. Tristain forces tried to fight, but the Reconquista forces wouldn't come down to fight, making it most difficult to do so._

"_RAGH!"_

_The monster was making it harder._

_When the forces arrived, a figure had leaped from the warship and crashed onto the ground. When soldiers went to inspect it, fearing a trap, they were attacked by a White Yummy. It was battering them, even denting their armour and crushing their swords and shields with its blows. Knights tried stabbing it, but none of them dug in and any strikes which hit it only seemed to disorient the beast momentarily before it got its senses back and went on the assault again. As terrifying as that was though…_

"_FOR THE GLORY OF WARDES!"_

…_it would scream that out._

_It made the knights and grounded Griffon Knights fear that Wardes had gotten a hold of some kind of new magic that allowed him to create such a creature and likewise made them fear if he could make more. Louise had tried to scream out that voicing such thoughts would make the monster stronger, deducing that the Yummy was made from the desire to make Wardes famous. However, the knights were either too busy fighting or just didn't listen to her. They continued fighting and fearing Wardes' possible magic power and in turn making the Yummy stronger. If it continued going on, the Yummy would evolve and become even more powerful. The situation couldn't have been any bleaker._

"_Wait, what is that noise?" asked Guiche suddenly, looking into the sky._

_Louise blinked, but then heard a roaring noise which was slowly getting louder and even beginning to drown out the sounds of battle._

_What was that? _

* * *

><p>I managed to reach Tarbes quickly enough, and was horrified that several of the buildings had been bombed. I saw several figures flying around what looked like a galleon floating in the air. More crates were on the ground and I saw figures on the ground scrambling about. Ignoring them in favour of the figures in the sky, I saw that several were flying griffons while the others were flying dragons. I knew Tristain employed griffons for their soldiers so I decided to focus on the dragons instead.<p>

"Gotcha," I said as I saw the enemy forces. I knew what I had to do. I didn't have to like it though. This was war after all. I never thought I would have to fight in one but that was then and this is now. In order to protect the people I cared about, I would have to fight. "Time to show them the power of good old fashion technology." My runes, which marked me with Galdalfr, allowed me to understand any weapon I held onto. That was how I knew how to use the OOO armor, that was how I was able to use Derflinger without any prior training, and that was how I was able to fly the Zero Fighter.

It was not just a flying machine. It was a weapon of war and now that it was flying again it was within its element.

War was never a good thing, especially if both sides fought for selfish reasons. The Reconquista called themselves revolutionaries but they were just a bunch of greedy nobles who wanted power to themselves. That was just like the original OOO. Eiji, the second OOO, had wanted to help people but his good will brought forth a tragic war and caused the death of a little girl he'd befriended. Now, I was the new OOO and unlike Eiji I had a desire, I wanted to go home.

However, I wasn't going to abandon my friends when they needed me the most. I had a desire, a desire to protect them, a desire to protect Princess Henrietta and Louise.

"Take this!" I yelled, hitting the trigger.

*RATATATATATATATATATA!*

The machine guns on the plane set off and for the first time as fully automated weapons started shooting. Nearly a heartbeat after the gun started shooting, the first dragon went down and took its rider with it. The dragon behind it went down not long after. Turning so to adjust my aim, I took down a third and fourth with another burst of gunfire. The griffons and their riders seemed to realize I was on their side and left me alone but made sure to keep out of my way too.

"I'm just shooting dragons, not people," I panted, trying not to let my vision go tunnelled. That was a sure fire way to miss someone shooting at you. "Shooting dragons, not people. Shooting dragons, not people."

* * *

><p>"<em>What is that?" Princess Henrietta questioned.<em>

"_The Dragon's Raiment," Louise uttered._

"_Louise, you know what that is?" Henrietta asked her childhood friend._

"_It's…it's Matthew!" She clenched her fists. Her ex-Familiar had disobeyed her yet again. She had plainly fired him but here he was fighting for her sake, yet again. She wasn't sure if she should be angry or grateful that he'd come. Either way, she began to feel better knowing he was there._

* * *

><p><em>Up above the battle, Wardes was obviously angry. He saw the fabled Dragon's Raiment and knew it was the Gandalfr yet again coming to get in his way and ruin his plans, not to mention humiliate him again. His dragon was cutting down the Albion breeds with startling ease. Already they had lost over ten with the numbers still rising. Snarling, he turned and spotted one of the deckhands scurrying about and transporting supplies. Stomping over to one that wasn't carrying something potentially explosive, he grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him around to face the former Viscount.<em>

"_Get one of the dragons ready for me!" he barked. "I'm entering the battle!"_

"_Y-yes sir!" the startled deckhand nodded before he dashed to where the dragons were kept in their pens for the Dragons Knights._

"_Wardes!" Cromwell shouted from above on his perch near his cabin. "What's going on?-!"_

"_A simple wrinkle in the plan," Wardes replied, heading for below deck. "I'll deal with it personally."_

* * *

><p><em>On the ground again, the White Yummy clobbered another Tristain soldier before it looked up to the Zero Fighter.<em>

"_OOO…"_

* * *

><p>I shot off more lead and cut down more Dragon Knights from the sky. It was getting easier to do, but I wasn't enjoying that. I just wanted to stop that warship and send everyone packing so no one else would lose their lives today.<p>

*KRACK-THOOM!*

*BOOM!*

"FUCK!" I bellowed as the Zero Fighter suddenly shook. Looking out to the right wing, I saw that a hole the size of a baseball had been cut through it and smoke was billowing out from the resulting hole. I just prayed it didn't hit the fuel lines. Craning my neck so to see who had shot at me, I spied a black dragon which from where I was able to see had a familiar rider on its back with a sword wand glowing with electricity.

"We meet again, Gandalfr!" I heard Wardes crow, likely using some kind of wind spell to carry his voice or something. Considering how our last encounter had went, he probably wouldn't turn down the chance to gloat over me. I mean, I had pretty much ruined his eye.

"God damn," I growled. Of all the people to show up now, it had to be the one guy who had a grudge against me. Pulling on the controls, I turned the plane around and started aiming at the black dragon and for once, wanting to aim at the murderer who was sitting on its back. "You die today Wardes!" I then hit the trigger.

*CLICK!*

I was out of ammo.

"Oh fuck me!" I hissed.

"Goodbye Gandalfr!"

*KRACK-THOOM!*

*BOOM!*

The aircraft shook again, this time much more violently. I was temporarily blinded by the flash of light Wardes' attack made but then the light I saw came from behind me. Glancing back, I spotted that Wardes, true to a soldier's training, had picked a spot which looked vulnerable and attacked it. In this case, it was the tail of the plane which was now broken and on fire.

"Shit!" I hissed. Turning back to the front, I frowned, "Okay, bailout time!"

Reaching to my side, I grabbed the O-Scanner and locked the buckle into place. I then passed it over the Medals with my now standard cry of "Henshin!"

"**TAKA!**"

"**KUJAKU!**"

"**CONDOL!**"

"**TA~JA~DOL!"**

* * *

><p><em>Louise cried out in horror as she saw the flaming Zero Fighter plummeting down towards the ground. However, before she could cry out her Familiar's name, she saw red flames burst from the cockpit and saw a figure flying into the air. On his back were wide, red wings and as he floated in the air he formed peacock feathers of energy which sprouted from his back.<em>

"_Is that…" Henrietta began, eyes gawking at the majestic sight. It was like a phoenix rising from the ashes. "Is that Matthew?"_

_They witnessed as OOO spread his arms and swing them forward, launching beams of energy which hit several of the remaining dragons who thought they would get the honour of finishing him off. The beams all flew past Wardes, though, like OOO was saving him for last._

"_Louise!"_

_The pinkette yelped and turned to see Slyphid coming down for a landing nearby. Tabitha was as expected flying with her best friend as the passenger. Kirche was off the dragon's back in a heartbeat and dashing at her looking rather panicked, "Louise! Where is Darling?-! Tell me where he is!"_

"_Wha-!" Louise gasped, somewhat shocked by seeing Kirche so unnerved by something._

"_Where's my Darling, Louise!" Kirche screamed out. "Tabitha and I followed him this far so where is the machine he was-!"_

_*BOOM!*_

_Conversation halted when the sounds of the Zero Fighter were heard when it hit the ground. It wasn't a direct crash, but instead it had been flying level enough after Matthew bailed out to skid across the ground, wrecking the machine and leaving a brown skid across the ground._

"…" _Kirche gaped, recognizing the wreckage. Tears dropped down her cheeks almost immediately and she started to tremble, "Darling…Darling…DARLING!"_

"_Up," Tabitha spoke, approaching the group._

"_Ah, right!" Louise gasped. "He's up in the air still! He's fighting in his red armour!"_

"_He…is?" Kirche blinked and looked up. She looked up and spotted the red figure and the black dragon charging at one another. Inhaling deeply, she turned to Tabitha, "Tabitha, let's get up in the sky! We have to help Darling!"_

"_I'm going with you!" Louise called, hopping off of her horse._

"_Fine, whatever!" the Germanian called as she ran back for Slyphid. "Just hurry!" _

* * *

><p>As more of the enemy forces fell due to my Peacock Missile attack, Derflinger cheered, "WOO-HOO! Partner, now that's firepower!" I drew Derflinger, which had transformed into the Medajalibur, and eyed Wardes.<p>

"Hey, Wardes. Or should I call you 'Cyclops' now?" I mocked as I saw the eye-patch he now sported. It was a good look for him. He was a scoundrel after all.

"I plan to pay you back for this!" Wardes growled, fingering the eye-patch.

"Oh, I am shaking in my little boots," I chuckled.

Almost as if in a cosmic sense of timing, shadows overtook the lands. I glanced up and saw that the sun was being blocked out by both moons that looked over Halkenginia. Well damn if that wasn't just _perfect_ timing. That damn eclipse just had to happen during this fight and just after I got my ass shot down. As if I wasn't pissed off enough as I was by having to deal with this trash.

"You die today, Gandalfr!" Wardes shouted, firing another bolt of lightning at me.

I quickly raised Derflinger and let the blow strike him. Thankfully it seemed that his magic absorbing qualities were still present and he swallowed the bolt. Smirking, I dove forward at Wardes, intent on punching out his other eye and wiping that stupid arrogant look off of his face! He quickly recovered and shot more bolts at me, but I either dodged them or just let Derflinger eat them. Once I got closer enough, I poured on the speed and slashed at him with my sword. Wardes' own blade blocked the attack and I landed on the dragon's neck. Being unable to resist the opportunity, I swung a punch at him with my free hand.

The man managed to duck away from the blow and scrambled onto his feet atop the saddle. The dragon didn't appreciate our movements and was flying around in all directions to try and get me off. The only reason it didn't try a barrel roll was likely because of its true rider still on its back.

The two of us only took a moment to steady ourselves before we lunged at one another with our blades. Sparks clashed as they collided with one another and those runes helped me keep up with the trash so I could properly kick his traitorous ass.

Our blades collided once again and we pressed out body weight against them, "Colour me curious, but why did you even bother going through with this traitor act? You already had glory and power. Did you really need more?"

"I did it because I was tired of simply being a captain to a squad of nobles who only got in because their corrupt parents bought positions for them! I did it because I knew I deserved more!" Wardes growled. "I worked all my life for everything I had which is more than any other noble has done in generations! For all that I've done for this kingdom, I deserve to have it all!"

"Heh!" I snickered leaping back onto the dragon's neck, making it screech in anger. "So you decided that because you managed to master your magic and win some battles enough to hold a medal, you deserve to sit on a throne? So not only are you trash, but you're arrogant trash too. It seems that humans are no different no matter where they are."

"Silence!" the trash snarled, hurling a small tornado at me. I retaliated by shooting a fireball from the Taja Spinner. The two attacks collided with a small bang which caused both to fizzle out, but neither of us stayed still for it. We charged at each other again and clashed with our blades. However, I was quickly getting tired of this trash and his egotistic blathering. I was taking him down and I was going to do it hard!

I lashed out with a kick which he blocked with his arm, but he automatically cried in pain as the tip of the blade on the front of my foot slashed his bicep. It made him flinch and I quickly pressed my advantage by lashing out with a punch. My fist cracked against his eye patch, making him stumble backwards to get his bearings back again but he wouldn't get the chance to retrieve them. I charged forward, moving the fight between the dragon's wings as I kept punching Wardes in the face, not once lifting Derflinger to deal more damage. I wanted the trash to feel the pain, not die a clean death on a sword blade. No, I was going to enjoy this and get every ounce of satisfaction for that prince's death.

"You honestly believe a few accomplishments makes you worthy?" I snapped with a punch.

*POW!*

Black eye.

"You think you deserve it all just because you worked a little harder than those lazy slobs?"

*POW!*

Bloody lip. Maybe some missing teeth.

"You honestly think you are meant for such high positions just because you killed or married the right people?"

*CRUNCH!*

Bashed in a rib or two with that one I think.

"You're as arrogant as the rest, thinking it should be so simple!"

*WHAM!*

Jaw might be fractured there.

"You? Deserving it all when you're just an uppity peon who distinguished himself by following orders better than others?"

*CRUNCH!*

Broken nose. Excellent.

"You just don't have what it takes to be a king! And the fact that you don't see that just proves it!"

"RAAAAAHHH!

Wardes apparently had enough and bellowed much like a wounded animal as he charged at me despite his wounds. The blade of his sword wand was glowing brightly, the same kind of attack he had used to kill Wales. It seemed that in the heat of battle where ego, status, and wealth all mean nothing he just revealed himself to be the petty little warmonger who fought to prove he was better than everyone else. You earn what you get, you get what you want, but what you want reveals what kind of person you are. He wanted glory and status, showing himself to be petty and arrogant just like the other corrupt nobles he thought himself better than.

His blade charged at me and I quickly moved to defend myself. I thrust to meet it.

*SHUNK!*

We both froze as the attacks landed. The empowered blade of the sword wand dug against my side deeply enough to cut through the armour and hit my rib, making me grimace from the pain but I was able to deal with it. Wardes on the other hand was dealt a blow of Derflinger buried several inches into his chest and out through his back, likely destroying a chunk of his lung if not his heart. He was frozen, looking quite shocked at what had happened and probably in no small amount of pain. Blood trailed down his face from his nose and mouth while he tried to gasp for air.

"Regret your arrogance in hell," I snarled.

"Gan…dal…fr…" the dying man growled before the light in his eyes vanished. He collapsed and slipped off of Derflinger's edge, falling from the dragon's back and towards the ground below. I remained silent for a moment since trash or not, he had been a worthy foe. The dragon's roar seemed to be a befitting death cry as I spread my wings again and took to the sky. Now all that was left was to deal with that blasted airship and-

"CAW!"

* * *

><p><em>The knights were still trying to defeat the White Yummy on the ground, but still it managed to beat them off and proclaim Wardes' might. Still, the knights were growing more confidant when a large portion of the Dragon Knights had been killed, leaving a much smaller attack force to be used against them and possibly a better chance of success. The Griffon Knights were holding up and were able to team up against the Dragon Knights now that they had the advantage of numbers. It seemed that the advantage was theirs.<em>

_But the Yummy had other ideas._

"_RRRRRAAAAAAAAWWWWWWW!" it suddenly bellowed, coincidentally when the rider of the black dragon died at the hands of the Dragon Raiment's rider. Red fire burst from its skin as it seemed to begin some kind of transformation. The knights drew back in fear, wondering what would happen as the magic took hold. Cracks spread across the monster's right arm before it burst into a cloud of dust, revealing a giant black feathered wing. More cracks spread across the Yummy's body before it too exploded in a haze of dust and dirt._

_Emerging from the cloud was a MASSIVE black crow which easily dwarfed the dragons that the Dragon Knights were riding. Its torso was covered in a crest of red feathers that looked like a grasping hand while the backs of its wings held the same image. Rather than talons, its feet looked more like humanoid hands which greedily clutched at the dirt while it stood. Its head held a serrated beat which again looked like hands pushed together to form the shape. On its forehead was a bone crest which like the rest of it, looked like a grasping hand._

"_CAW!" the beast bellowed out before it flapped its wings and took off into the sky._

* * *

><p>"<em>What is that?-!" Kirche cried as she, Tabitha, and Louise rode up on Slyphid's back.<em>

"_I-I don't know," Louise gaped as she witnessed the crow monster take to the sky. "It…it can't be a Yummy. It's too big."_

"_Trouble," Tabitha murmured._

* * *

><p>"Great. That's all I need," I sighed eyeing the Crow O-Yummy taking to the skies.<p>

Grunting, I dove towards the ascending O-Yummy and began peppering it with fireball attacks from the Taja Spinner. Small explosion rippled off of the monster's body, but the damn thing barely flinched. All I saw as a result was some singed feathers falling from the thing's body.

"Dammit, this isn't working," I grunted.

"Hey Partner," Derflinger spoke up. "Sure we can take out something this big?"

"That damned Multi-King did, so I can too!" I shot back and dove for the Crow O-Yummy once again. This time, I drew my sword and dove at the damn bird's back. It gave off a screech and tried to snap at me with its disfigured beak, but I managed to fly around it and flew over the feather expanse of the creature's back. I the jabbed Derflinger down into the beast's back and dragged it along, creating a sizable gash which oozed Cell Medals. The amount I saw within the beast almost made me drool. Whoever it came from must have been a greedy bastard! Oh well, more for me!

The O-Yummy screeched in agony as I finished my carving and flew to do a U-turn. It likewise did the same and turned around to face me. Luck was with me since the thing seemed to be simply brute force rather than skilled. That would make things easier for me anyway, as if anything about the day had been easy thus far. Swooping around, I reared back my arm for another fireball attack. The O-Yummy likewise turned around and opened it's beak before spewing out black smoke at me.

"Aw hell!" I growled.

The smoke hit me like the force of a bullet, knocking me silly through the air and obscuring everything from sight as I tried to get myself right-side up again. I didn't get long before something truly massive cut through the smoke and bashed into me, knocking me out of the smoke and making he see stars.

"Gah!" I cried, spiralling through the air from the force of the blow. I tried manipulating my wings so to get my balance back and it was rough going with so much force having been used to hit me. The Crow O-Yummy wasn't remaining idle as it turned around for another blow as well. "Damn!"

Another caw came from the O-Yummy as it turned to come at me again. In a slight bid of desperation, I fired at it several times with the Taja spinner to try and get it to break its attack run. The fireballs impacted, but only a few burnt feathers were the result and it didn't seem to be enough to get it to back off. Cursing under my breath, I flapped my wings and went strait up, letting the O-Yummy pass by underneath.

"I don't think our strategy is working Partner!" Derflinger commented.

"No shit!" I hissed. "We'll have to get in close, but the problem is getting the damn thing to stand still long enough!"

"Can we distract it with something?"

"With what?" I shouted. "The only thing big enough for it to notice is that damn warship and it hasn't been doing anything since this whole fight started!"

*BOOM!*

"Huh?" Medajalibur and I blinked as we turned to see what had happened. We both froze when we saw a cloud of smoke from one side of the warship which until now had been a useless lump of wood and magic. Coming from it and flying right at us though, was a black cannonball.

"Oh fuck me!" I cried while diving for the sides as the cannonball flew past into the open air. Balancing myself again, I turned to glare at the warship as it seemed to begin moving again, trying to adjust its position. "Is there anything out there that doesn't want to try pissing me off?-!"

*BOOM!*

Another cannonball was my reply.

* * *

><p>"<em>Shoot down that man!" Cromwell barked out, sounding more than a little panicked. More than half of the Dragon Knights had been killed by that strange green beast and now the rider was flying around like a bird and had actually killed Wardes. The men were scared and demoralized at seeing their forces and one of their heroes defeated so quickly and easily. The only thing which was keeping them from trying to run was the giant bird beast which Wardes had made. Seeing the situation, Cromwell knew that the only way he'd get the momentum back into his invasion was to destroy that flying man. The beast seemed able to do the job, but the corrupt leader never was one to leave things to chance.<em>

* * *

><p>"<em>Darling!"<em>

"_Matthew!"_

_Two of the three girls cried in fright when they saw the warship begin shooting their cannons at Matthew while he was fighting against the crow monster. He was already struggling with trying to wound the beast and now Reconquista was trying to pin him in. If they hit him with even one of those cannonballs then he was going to die!_

"_Tabitha, isn't there anything we can do?" asked Louise desperately._

_The bluenette nodded and tapped Slyphid's head. The dragon understood and swooped closer to the battle. Louise trembled at the sight of the giant crow coming closer, but she remained vigilant and tried not to show her fear. _

_The beast let out another screech and dove for Matthew a second time with its jaws opened, ready to try to swallow him. At the same time, the warship had levelled off again at a new height and fired off another cannonball. Tabitha reacted quickly and raised her staff while at the same time Kirche pulled out her own wand and took aim at the crow monster. Tabitha fired off a wind spell while Kirche launched a fireball at high speeds. Kirche's struck home first, crashing into the monster's eye, causing the creature to screech and halt its charge. Tabitha's own attack struck the cannonball and veered it off course from where it was aimed at Matthew._

_In a rather odd chain of events, the veered off cannonball actually missed Matthew by quite a margin, and instead flew through the air and collided with the crow monster's chest, making it screech further and flap rapidly backwards as a hole of shifting silver appeared where the impact point was. Louise could see sparkles of light falling from the hole, proving that the creature was in fact a Yummy as she could tell that the sparkles were Cell Medals._

"_Duck," Tabitha suddenly spoke as she had Slyphid start flying quicker than before and veer away from the battle. Kirche and Louise yelped at the sudden change of pace, but they managed to hold on. Craning her head, Louise discovered just why Tabitha had her Familiar move so suddenly. Dragon Knights from Reconquista were chasing them and several were already charging up their spells to attack them._

"_Fly faster, Tabitha!" Kirche cried, spotting the same knights._

_Tabitha merely nodded._

* * *

><p>I was a little confused as to what had happened for a moment. The Crow O-Yummy had been diving towards me from the right while that blasted warship had shot at me from the front yet again. I was ready to dodge, that action being the only sensible one that I could take. However, a flash of heat came from behind and when I turned to see what it was, it had already passed and collided with the O-Yummy's face, making a small explosion which caused the beast to screech and halt its approach as it tried to stop the pain. Whoever had fired it certainly had better aim than I did.<p>

After the fireball, a gust of wind sounded off and once again I turned to face it only to see the cannonball that had been flying towards me suddenly veer off course and amusingly enough, crash into the O-Yummy's chest, tearing it's flesh open and spilling out numerous Cell Medals in the process. Still confused, I turned in the direction I was sure that the attacks had come from and spotted a blue dragon flying in the distance. On its back were three people with either red, blue, or pink hair.

"Can't those girls ever keep out of trouble?" I grumbled. I then spied the remaining Dragon Knights beginning to chase after the group.

I would have given chase, but the damn bird decided to get my attention again with a loud caw while starting to dive at me again. I flapped my wings and rose into the air above the freak, giving me some time to do my next move.

"I don't have time to screw around with you anymore!" I snarled, gripping my fists. "So if you think you're man or bird enough to do this, then come and get me!"

Suddenly, my hand felt hot. Turning to look at my left, I spotted light coming from my hand even through my armour. They were blurry, but I could see that the light was in the form of the Gandalfr runes which everyone seemed so damn interested in.

"When the hell?" I blinked.

"Ah, finally," Derflinger spoke softly.

* * *

><p><em>As Slyphid dove to avoid a fireball, Louise suddenly gasped and turned very still. Her usually brown eyes turned dull and she felt as if all sensation had left her body. Standing up, she drew her wand before turning to point it at the space between the horde of Dragon Knights and the warship that was beginning to rise as to get her Familiar in range of its cannons again. Target locked on, she began to chant softly under her breath.<em>

* * *

><p>The O-Yummy let off another caw as it began to fly up at me, but I had been distracted slightly by the glowing runes, wondering what was happening to me now. At the same time, I felt a twinge at my side before a pulse jumped through me. As if taking the pulse as a cue, eight jolts passed through my body, "The hell-?" Looking down, I saw that a void had opened up in my side and that several Core Medals were moving out of the void before coming to hover in front of my face. There was one for each colour I possessed and each one was a Head-type Medal. I was slightly unnerved by the sight to be honest. Were the consciousnesses of the Greeed waking up?<p>

The Taja Spinner reacted next, opening wide to reveal its empty spaces. The Medals in turn flew to the spaces and set themselves inside before the weapon shut itself again. I blinked, but the caw of the O-Yummy brought me back to the fight. Quickly grabbing the O-Scanner, I pulled back the release level of the Taja Spinner to let the Medals spin before placing the Scanner over it.

As the Medals began to chime, the sun began to shine as the moons left their position.

"**TAKA!**"

"**KUWAGATA!**"

* * *

><p><em>Louise's chanting continued as Kirche tried to get the pinkette to sit down again to no avail.<em>

* * *

><p>"<strong>RAION!<strong>"

"**SAI!**"

* * *

><p><em>The tip of Louise's wand began to shine as an orb of densely concentrated magic appeared.<em>

* * *

><p>"<strong>SHACHI!<strong>"

"**KOBURA!**"

* * *

><p><em>Louise's chanting grew faster as she approached the end of her spell.<em>

* * *

><p>"<strong>SASORI!<strong>"

"**PUTERA!**"

* * *

><p>"<em>Explosion."<em>

* * *

><p>"<strong>GIN-GIN-GIN-GIGA SCAN!<strong>"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

The power! All of the power of eight Core Medals flowed straight through me! Around me, the symbols of the Medals appeared in a circle like a mandala with me in the centre. They spun in place before transforming into orbs of their respective elements. Taka turned into fire, Kuwagata to lightning, Raion to wind, Sai to gravity, Shachi to water, Kobura to earth, Sasori to liquid venom, and Putera to ice.

Transformation complete, the orbs began spinning around me at a faster pace, blurring and appearing as if they were a disc of colours. I glared down at the approaching O-Yummy and it didn't seem at all concerned about what I was doing. Instead, it opened its mouth and spewed out another stream of that black smoke. I growled at the sight of the fumes and dove down headfirst at the mass of blackness. I made impact against it, but didn't feel a thing since the disc of elements was cutting through the substance with ease. I ignored the distractions and focused on the source of the stuff. No hesitation. No fear. I was taking this thing down!

"SEE-YAH!" I bellowed, crashing into the Crow O-Yummy's mouth. At first I only saw the inside of its mouth, but my spinning disk cut through the flesh and soon I found myself soaring through masses of Cell Medals that rang against my armour like rain. I poured on, burrowing through the O-Yummy and soon enough broke through a barrier of Cell Medals into the open sunlight again. The disk of elements faded as I turned around to see that the O-Yummy was sporting a massive hole through its body with its head split in two through the middle. The beast itself gave off a large squawk of pain before exploding into a giant fireball, sending Cell Medals raining down in all directions.

"Heh," I smirked. "Serves you right for picking a fight with me."

Then the world went white.

Not literally, but it almost did. A bright light suddenly appeared near the warship and I turned to see just what the hell it was. It started off as a small sphere of light, but then in a pulse of white energy it just grew and engulfed everything. The warship was swallowed, the remaining Dragons Knights were swallowed, hell even some of the trees got swallowed by the growing light. It was sheer luck that it was so high in the air or else all of Tarbes and the surrounding countryside could have been swallowed. I shielded my eyes to stop myself from going blind, but I still had to see what was going on.

"Just what the hell is this?" I asked.

"It's a void spell!" Derflinger cried. "The girl pulled it off! I knew she had the right stuff! Ha ha ha!"

"Void?" I blinked. "You mean the brat actually pulled it off?"

"Yup!" the sword laughed. "Go see for yourself!"

I peered into the surrounding area, trying to find out just where that blue dragon had gone, but couldn't see anything because of that damn light! After several more minutes of blinding power, it died down as quickly as it began. However, a few changes had happened in the meantime. All of the Dragon Knights who had gotten caught up in the light had vanished. One could have thought they were teleported somewhere but the warship remained. It was burnt black was little more than scrap now. It looked ready to fall apart and a good portion of it did as it fell to the ground and hit with a resounding boom. If that had been done to a sturdy ship, it made me believe the knights had been vaporised.

"Remind me not to piss that girl off while she's holding her wand," I muttered.

"Only if you promise to bring me with you when you run," Derflinger chuckled.

With the light gone, I managed to see Slyphid heading for the ground. Moving my wings, I quickly followed them and landed on the ground not too far away from them. Kirche and Tabitha were helping Louise off of Slyphid's back since it seemed that the pinkette had fallen unconscious by using her magic like she did.

"Zero my ass," I snickered. "Took down a warship by herself."

I approached the trio and saw that aside from being out cold, the pink girl seemed to be fine. The red and blue ones were okay too, which was as far as I was concerned a miracle since one usually didn't get through a battle in war unscathed. Hell, the best you could hope for as far as I knew was a bunch of scrapes and bruises but these girls had none of those.

"Darling!" Kirche cried as she took notice of me. She dashed away from her friends and latched onto me, grapping me in a grip I was sure not even a Yummy would match.

I grunted slightly from the impact and the force she clutched me with, "Okay girl. I'm fine! –wheeze- I'm fine! Leggo already!"

"No! I have you now and I'm never letting go!" she sobbed into my chest. "Now get out of that armour so I can kiss you already!"

"What?" I blinked, but then yelped as I felt her hand grab the O-Driver. "No! Wait!"

The latch was undone and the belt was removed, taking my armour and my consciousness with it.

Goddamn it.

* * *

><p><em>Louise yawned slightly and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Why was she so tired? She wasn't doing anything too tiring was she? The last thing she remembered was…<em>

"_THE BATTLE!" she screamed, sitting up. The battle for Tarbes! What happened? Did they win? Did they lose? What? Where was she now?_

_Looking around herself for clues as to what had happened, she blinked as she realized that she was back in her room in the castle. She was also in her nightgown which was again slightly confusing for her. Rubbing her eyes again, she got out of the bed and walked to the window. Peering through the glass, she saw that everything was peaceful and it didn't look like what she would have expected to see when a battle was lost. She didn't see demoralized soldiers, wounded men trying to get around, or Water Mages scurrying about trying to heal everyone. Instead, from her vantage point it seemed that everyone was in a pretty jovial mood. The air was filled with cheer, she could hear people celebrating, and the sun was shining…_

"_The sun!" Louise gasped, remembering something. "The eclipse!"_

_Was her Familiar gone like he had wanted to?_

_A creaking door caught her attention and she turned to see who was coming to see her. She gasped when she spotted Henrietta arrive in her white gown and a smile on her face._

"_Princess!"_

"_Louise Francoise!" Henrietta beamed. Running across the room, she embraced Louise warmly, discarding decorum for the moment so to be fully relieved that her friend was okay. "I was so worried! When you and Matthew were both found unconscious we feared the worst for the moment! I'm so relieved!"_

"_Ah…th-thank-you, Your Highness," Louise mumbled into her friend's chest. After a moment, Henrietta backed away and allowed Louise to speak. "You saw Matthew? He's still here?"_

"_Why yes!" Henrietta nodded with a smile. "He was placed in a different room while he recovered. I believe your friend Miss Zerbst hasn't left his side since he got here."_

_Louise's eyes bulged, "Wh-wh-what?-! Wh-where is he now?"_

"_Just down the hall," Henrietta blinked. "He should still be there. We'll be having the ceremony soon."_

"_CEREMONY?-!-?-!" Louise shrieked._

_Dashing away from her confused friend, Louise ran into the hallway and dashed in the direction she suspected her Familiar was in. She kept her ears near the door so she could hear what may be going on in any of the rooms. Most of the rooms she either heard nothing or something she really didn't want to hear. After a few tries, she finally found the voices that she had been listening for._

"_What do you think about this one Darling? I bought it especially for the ceremony."_

"_Looks nice. Hopefully my new outfit won't be too gaudy,"_

"_Oh perish the thought! I had my outfit specially picked to go with yours!"_

_Louise growled. So that Zerbst was trying to lure her Familiar away by marrying him eh? Well not while she had anything to say about it! Stepping back she grabbed the door handle and slammed it open with her battle cry._

* * *

><p>A lot had happened since we kicked Reconquista's ass. The majority of the surviving soldiers had fled and the ones who remained were captured as were the crew of the warship that Louise had shot down with her Explosion spell. Kirche had been kind enough to tell me how Louise had gone into a trance and cast the spell. I already knew the result. Best of all though, the leader of Reconquista Cromwell had been captured as well. Tabitha and Kirche had gone to inspect the remains of the ship when they saw him stumble out of the woods mumbling to himself. The jerk had actually tried to use the Ring of Andvarii to force the two girls to serve him until Guiche bashed him over the head with a stick. I asked if he still had the ring with him, but Tabitha said he didn't by the time they got to the castle so he likely threw it away to keep it out of our hands.<p>

Crap.

Waking up in the castle had been pleasant. It had been a while since I got to sleep in a bed instead of straw. Kirche and Tabitha had both been there when I woke up. Before I could ask anything though, Kirche had kissed me again, almost rendering me unconscious again from lack of breath. After she calmed down, she told me that the princess was honouring us with an award ceremony for recognition for our roles in winning the battle and retaking Tarbes. Of course, Kirche being Kirche decided to go buy a dress for the occasion from Quinn who had asked her to deliver my newest outfit which she had completed, the black one with the black Cores on it.

Upon her return and my bill of clean health, she asked me to show her my outfit while she got into hers. My outfit looked more like a tuxedo than anything else. The images of the black Core Medals were along one sleeve while the combined Combo crest was over the heart. The undershirt was white with runic designs stitched in but they were hard to see unless one looked closely. I also had a black tie which had an obsidian stone at the end. All in all, this was the kind of thing I would have worn to a ceremony since unlike the others there was no way to wear it casually.

Kirche had decided to wear a slinky one piece dress which hugged her figure suggestively. The skirt wasn't as frilly as a ballroom gown but it wasn't as thin as one of those proverbial 'little black dresses' would be. The straps barely hung on her shoulders with frilly decoration and with anything she wore it was equipped with a plunging neckline that showed off one of her best physical assets.

And she was wearing it in my room while she was alone with me.

"What do you think about this one, Darling?" she asked as she posed against the post of the bed. "I bought it especially for the ceremony."

"Looks nice," I complimented. "Hopefully my new outfit won't look to gaudy."

"Oh perish the thought!" Kirche giggled, removing herself from her pose. "I had my outfit specially picked to go with yours!"

I chuckled slightly at all of the effort that Kirche was putting into the ceremony. Still, it was a big deal. It wasn't everyday that someone received an award from the princess for their actions in a war. Thanks to my friends and I, we managed to drive off an invasion and capture the enemy leader. How many people could claim that?

"And you look quite dashing in it too," Kirche added, coming towards me for what I expect would be a kiss…until the door was thrown open revealing Louise and…oh crap, she was pissed.

"Ma~tthew!" she growled.

"Oh, you're awake, Louise," I said, my mind racing to find a way to avoid being attacked with a blunt instrument. "Just in time too. You should get ready for the ceremony and…"

Louise suddenly threw herself at me and hugged me. "Idiot dog! You said you wanted to go home! So why did you stay!-?"

So that's why she was here. Chuckling I patted her head so to try and calm her down, "As much as I wanted to go home, I couldn't just leave my friends high and dry when they could get themselves killed in a war. If I did, I'd be wondering for the rest of my life if you guys were okay or not. So I hopped in the plane and brought it to the battlefield to kick some ass."

"But now the Dragon Raiment is ruined!" Louise sniffled as she backed up. "How will you get home if you can't fly it into the next eclipse?"

"Well, TaJaDol can fly," I shrugged. "I don't know how high but if everything's safe by the time the next eclipse comes about I can try it then."

"Not if I convince you to stay first," Kirche purred, slinking around behind me and gripping my shoulders.

Louise turned her glare at the redhead in a flash, nothing but fire in her eyes, "Zerbst! I'm not going to let you take my Familiar away no matter how much you offer your body to him!"

"Uh…" I blinked.

"Huh?" Kirche pondered.

"I know everything!" Louise hissed. "You managed to trick him into agreeing to marry you! Well I'm going to put a stop to it! I'm not going to let a Zerbst steal away something of mine like your ancestors did to mine!"

"Marriage?" I blinked. Where the heck had she gotten that idea from?

"Marriage? What a wonderful idea!" Kirche beamed. "The princess can wed me and Darling after the award ceremony!"

"What?-!" I cried.

"Award ceremony?" Louise asked, her fires of rage distracted for a moment.

I was feeling like we were in the middle of a circle game of some kind with accusations and confusion dashing around us, using our words to keep ourselves moving at a rapid pace so we wouldn't be able to catch them. Unfortunately, I felt like I was being dragged into the middle of it with the responsibility of catching them.

"Yeah," I nodded. "You, me, Kirche, Tabitha, and Guiche are getting medals for our roles in defeating the invasion force, their secret weapon, and capturing the leader of Reconquista. I'm told that it's a pretty big honour."

"So…it's not a wedding ceremony?" Louise questioned.

"No," I answered at the same time Kirche answered, "Maybe." I gave the redhead a meaningful glare but she just smiled playfully.

* * *

><p>The thing I can say about the people here was that, like back home, award ceremonies were a really huge deal. Of course a medieval ceremony would be different from those award shows I saw on TV. This one would be more like a pompous ceremony like out of a romantic era film. Guiche, Tabitha, Louise, Kirche, and myself were standing in front of Henrietta's throne with courtly officials lining the sides of the room as they witnessed the heroes of what was now known as The Battle of Tarbes step forward to receiving their due honours. All of us were dressed in our cleanest and brightest for the occasion with Kirche and I wearing something new to the event. However, despite how well-dressed I was, I was still the odd man out with a few of the officials looking at me oddly since I wasn't a noble like the others.<p>

"People of Tristain, we have gathered here today to honour these brave souls in their duty in serving our country in its time of need," Henrietta announced, standing in front of us with her staff held in hand. Behind her was a woman whom I assumed to be her mother who looked like she had a big burden taken off of her shoulders. "For their service, they have our everlasting gratitude. For this, I award each of them the Elven Medal for bravery and service above and beyond the call of duty."

Trumpets sounded off as an attendant walked forward with a pillow. On it were five ribbons with gold crosses with silver decoration. Giving her staff to another attendant, Henrietta picked up the first medal and stepped in front of Guiche before pinning it to his shirt.

"Guiche de Gramont," she smiled. "You have done your family and your ancestors proud with your faithful service to your country."

Guiche preened under the praise. Henrietta and the medal attendant moved to Tabitha before the princess placed the medal on her chest.

"Tabitha de Chevalier Ivaldi, though this is not your home country we are eternally grateful for your friendship and help."

Tabitha nodded, but her cheeks had turned slightly rosy. Henrietta then moved to Kirche, pinning the medal on the strap of her dress.

"Kirche Augusta Fredricha von Anhalt Zerbst, Germania and its people will be proud of your accomplishments."

Kirche smiled with a curtsey before Henrietta moved on to Louise happily placing the medal on her friend's chest.

"Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere, your gifts have truly been granted to us by both God and The Founder. We are lucky to have you with us."

If Louise could have smiled any brighter, she would have been glowing. Henrietta moved to me before taking the last medal and pinning it over the crest on my chest.

"Matthew MacGregor, though you were brought here without warning, I am pleased and relieved to know that Tristain has the support and power of the Multi-King with it."

Whispers and questions immediately spread through the room, asking what Henrietta had meant by Multi-King. The queen seemed likewise confused by the title that her daughter had called me by. She'd likely ask her about it later. I ignored the quiet whispering and nodded to the princess as she returned to her original position and reclaimed her staff from her second attendant. Both then returned to the sides of the throne.

"I give your our heroes of The Battle of Tarbes!" Henrietta announced, gesturing to us. The five of us turned and faced the crowds of nobles who began clapping and cheering with the trumpeters playing another song for us. It all really began feeling a little surreal for me. I mean, being awarded medals by royalty? Winning decisive battles in war? I could hardly believe it was happening but it was happening just the same. Still, it was best to enjoy it. I was going to be in Tristain for a while so I may as well make myself comfortable.

For better or for worse, I wasn't going anywhere.

* * *

><p>AN: Yahoo! My first completed story! Season 1 of Familiar of ZerOOO is complete! PARTY!

I want to thank all of you who took the time to read this story and stuck with it from beginning to end. I know I'm not the fastest or the most schedules with updates so when I started this story, I made sure it was finished before I began posting it. So now you guys have a completed story to enjoy amoing my many incompleted ones.

For those of you who asked if or when you'd learn more about Matt, that will come in season 2. Season 1 was about establishing Matt in Halkenginia and you'll learn more about his past in the next season. There will be thrills, spills, romance, and so much more for the upcoming season. Just to let you all know though, Kirche and Matt are not truly together yet, although he is certainly running out of reasons as to why he shouldn't resist her attempts at seduction. There are some other girls who will have their eyes set on him and his personalities whenever he uses his Full Combos may have a different opinion. It's not going to be easy for Kirche to get what she wants. Oh no.

Anyway, now that this story is finished I'll turn my attention towards my Fate/Stay Night fics for a while and try to make some progress on them before I look back to Kamen Rider. So just be a little bit patient and _Familiar of ZerOOO: Return of the Multi-King_ will be hitting your computers in no time!


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